


The Masks Put On

by Kimium, ObscureReference



Series: Mafia AU [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/F, Hinted breaking and entering, Invasion of Privacy, Loss of Trust, Mafia AU, Modern AU, Online Friendship, Online Relationship, part three
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 01:38:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14760134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimium/pseuds/Kimium, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObscureReference/pseuds/ObscureReference
Summary: Mafia AU. Modern AU. Part Three. Severa's POV."TheEmpress:Mm, a bold color. Not many would wear this out in public, I think.Severa stared at the comment. Was that some kind of dare? Some backhanded compliment? Laying flat on her stomach on her bed, she huffed, already clicking on TheEmpress’s username. If TheEmpress thought Severa would sit back and take something like that without comment, she had another thing coming.That had been six months ago.Severa and TheEmpress had been speaking every day since."In which Severa gains an online friend. Just a friend, thank-you-very-much.





	The Masks Put On

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone, Kimium here! Look! Our third part to our Mafia AU! We had so much fun writing Severa's POV and I hope you like it just as much as we liked writing it. Obscure is honestly one of the best co-authors anyone could ask for! I always am so blessed to work with her! Please go check her fics out after this one, as she's honestly so talented and her stories always blow me away. Feel free to leave kudos and comments and, if you want to check my tumblr out, it's right [here](http://www.kimium.tumblr.com).
> 
> ObscureReference here! Writing this series has been a lot of fun, and we hope you feel the same! If you haven't read the other fics in this series yet, you really should! And then after reading this fic, you should go check out Kimium's other fics too! They're really good, and she's a great co-author! Thanks so much for reading! If you want to hit me up on my tumblr, I can be found [here!](http://someobscurereference.tumblr.com/)

Severa liked makeup.

She liked a lot of things, truth be told. She liked those free lotion samples clerks gave out at stores. She liked the black hair ribbons she had bought for Nah’s birthday party a few years ago. She liked running her own blog. She liked leaving long, detailed reviews on the items she used and telling other people to get lost if they didn’t agree, because she always wrote _exactly_ _why_ she said what she said, and if they didn’t like it then they could go somewhere else with their opinion. She liked getting happy messages from her followers saying they bought this or that on her recommendation, and it worked perfectly liked described. She liked being satisfied.

What Severa didn’t like was when people thought they were experts when they clearly weren’t.

When Severa said she liked makeup, that meant she had worked hard to learn about it and what went into good makeup. She always rolled her eyes in annoyance when other people clearly hadn’t done the same.

In one of the forums Severa frequented, somebody named “BubbleBuddy28” made a post about how she heard all about this new facial lotion that was allergen-free, not rough on skin, all the reviews had been so nice, she used it last night, blah blah blah, but now she, like, had a _total_ rash and her eyes were itchy and this lotion was supposed to be the one everyone was able to use, so now what was she supposed to do? She attached a picture of her face rash in her post, and Severa recognized the real problem right away.

A user named “TheEmpress” had responded first, however, recommending a few different facial cream alternatives BubbleBuddy28 could use after her rash subsided. Severa recognized the name, and while she normally supported TheEmpress’s posts and thought the alternative face creams were good choices, this was a clear mistake. One that needed to be corrected immediately.

So Severa magnanimously stepped in.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Uh, HELLO? Are you even looking at her picture??? This girl clearly just dyed her hair, and that facial cream is known to work well on even the most sensitive skin. Sure, there’s the chance that this girl is one in a million, but I’ll bet you anything that’s a hair dye rash, NOT a facial cream rash. Look at that redness. It’s all around her scalp and ears near her hairline, and her eye itchiness is a total clue. That’s total dye rash 101._

_BubbleBuddy28, if this is the first time you’ve ever dyed your hair (and I’m betting it is), you should wash your hair IMMEDIATELY with some GENTLE hypoallergenic shampoo. You should check out the ingredients in your hair dye and see what helps neutralize those too, but tbh, you should probably see a doctor just to be safe._

Then Severa listed some alternative hair dyes, some wide scale chains that sold hypoallergenic skin care items, and went on her merry way.

When she got a reply from BubbleBuddy28 that evening thanking her profusely and saying that this was, in fact, the first time she had ever dyed her hair and that after some further research, it turned out to be the hair dye she was allergic to, not the face cream, Severa felt rather smug.

It was all in a day’s work, however, and Severa nearly forgot about it until she saw a private message in her inbox the next day.

 **TheEmpress:** _Good evening, Selena. We’ve never spoken, but I recognize you from the forum and your beauty blog. I just wanted to say I was impressed by your response to that comment the other day about the face cream crash. I thought it was strange that that particular brand would give that girl a rash, but I hadn’t even considered the fact it was a hair dye issue. You have a good eye._

Severa had simultaneously soaked up the praise and rolled her eyes a bit, because _of course_ she had a good eye and _of course_ she knew what she was talking about. But on the other hand, Severa recognized TheEmpress as being a pretty popular user who knew her stuff, and her alternative recommendations would have been pretty good if it actually had been a face cream issue, so Severa maybe mentioned that a little when she sent a quick thank you message back to TheEmpress.

She refreshed her inbox all evening, but there was no response for the rest of the night.

Severa hadn’t been _disappointed_ or anything. Just because she recognized TheEmpress’s name and thought TheEmpress was pretty smart and would have made a good conversation partner didn’t mean she _needed_ a response or anything. Nobody else in her real life friend group was as well-read as Severa when it came to makeup or fashion, but that was whatever. Severa could deal.

Then Severa went to her normal blog, _Expert Selena_ , and among the few new comments on her most recent post about lipstick she found a familiar name waiting there.

 **TheEmpress:** _Mm, a bold color. Not many would wear this out in public, I think._

Severa stared at the comment. Was that some kind of dare? Some backhanded compliment? Laying flat on her stomach on her bed, she huffed, already clicking on TheEmpress’s username. If TheEmpress thought Severa would sit back and take something like that without comment, she had another thing coming.

That had been six months ago.

Severa and TheEmpress had been speaking every day since.

 

~

 

Severa may like a lot of things, but there were also things she disliked with a passion. She hated bread and butter pickles, and she hated raw onions. She hated losing things just as much as she hated being unable to find things. She hated when her brain was focused on one task and then suddenly forgot what the task was. She hated uninformed people who flapped their gums like they a knew it all, and she hated being late. But most importantly, she hated being late because of uninformed people who flapped their gums like they knew it all.

Which was what she was.

Severa hadn’t _meant_ to get into an argument with the customer at her workplace, but the girl kept going on and on and on about “this free coupon for this eyeshadow” and “Isn’t this on sale?” and “What do you mean there isn’t a discount?” for ten whole minutes. Severa couldn’t help but wonder if the girl had purposefully picked out every single expensive makeup product in their work and thought she could bully her way to free deal. Poor Julie, a new hire, was practically in tears, and that set Severa off like a rocket launcher. So she gave it to the customer, and not in a polite way, but in the stern pointing to fifteen different policies way, holding up legal looking documents and being able to smuggly tell the girl “sorry sweetie, but I am the manager.” That had been the last straw, and the customer all but left with a raised voice. Severa was almost tempted to call out and ask if the girl wanted to meet security. She didn't. Barely.

However because of the incident Severa had to write up paperwork officially documenting the incident as well as getting Julie to write her statement too. That meant Severa had to phone ahead to the office and fax things through and send emails. It had been a long day, and that caused her to miss her usual bus and have to wait ten minutes for another one. That had pushed her to be late returning home and thus late for her usual scheduled chat with TheEmpress.

Severa wasn’t sure who had arranged their unofficial time to talk, but somehow over the months they had figured out what time on what days generally worked for them. Occasionally their schedules shifted and either Severa’s work or school conflicted with TheEmpress and her work. Severa had to admire the other’s lifestyle, working and helping run a family business. Severa had once looked into it, just out of curiosity, and knew how much labour and time was put into simply getting established. However, TheEmpress often expressed enjoyment out of her work, particularly because she got to work with her family. It gave Severa hope that she too could achieve something like running a business. It was a fleeting thought, but Severa was never one to turn down a dream simply because it was hard work. That wasn’t how her parents had raised her and she wasn’t going to start thinking negatively.

However those thoughts and hopes would have to wait, as Severa was extremely late. She fired up her computer, tapping anxiously on the table, glancing at her clock on her wall with every passing second. When her laptop was ready, Severa quickly unlocked it and went to their usual chat room. The icon indicating that TheEmpress was online was circled in green. Severa’s fingers flew to the keyboard.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Hello! Sorry I’m late. I got caught up with a bitchy customer._

 **TheEmpress:** _Hello, Selena. I’m sorry to hear. Do tell me what happened?_

Severa felt a small smile twitch on her lips as she typed out her response.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _This girl came in with, by the way, probably the worst fake tan I’ve ever seen on a human being and proceeded to fill her basket with some of our most expensive product. Then when she got to the counter, she started to ask about this coupon she had and then a discount. When our new hire told her the coupon expired and the discount promotion over, she proceeded to try and bully our new hire._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I took over and proceeded to destroy this girl. And!!! When I was done she asked to speak to the manager. Classic!_

 **TheEmpress:** _I imagine that didn’t pan out well._

Severa laughed, almost hearing the fake saddened tone of her online friend.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Naturally. You should have seen the look on the girl’s face! I wish I took a picture._

 **TheEmpress:** _I can imagine it well._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _The only downside was the paperwork._

 **TheEmpress:** _I understand that struggle all too well._

Severa laughed to herself again and their conversation veered to new products and TheEmpress’ boring day, though she did mention one of her siblings wanting to practice cooking, so an hour was taken with the both of them looking up online recipes. Severa read the conversation, trying to imagine what it would be like. The closest she had were Owain and Inigo and that one time they decided to try and cook together. They were very lucky the kitchen wasn’t burnt down and Henry had been a relaxed father. Still, when her parents had heard about it, she had been reprimanded all the way home. At the time Severa had been very pouty over it, but now as an adult Severa found the memory funny. Plus, she had grown and knew her kitchen wasn’t in danger of burning down. It made Severa wonder if TheEmpress was unfamiliar with cooking, and it made the interaction with her sibling rather cute.

They talked for another half an hour before Severa’s stomach growled and protested. Severa sighed and knew it was time to log off. TheEmpress wasn’t like Owain or Inigo, who lurked by their devices for messages. TheEmpress was a busy person and that's why Severa treasured their chats so much. It was always a bit sad to leave, but Severa knew they’d talk again. Plus, Severa had some assigned readings to get through.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Anyways, I best get going. Dinner and then homework._

 **TheEmpress:** _How busy! I wish you the best of luck._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Thank you. Same to you._

Severa resisted the urge to watch TheEmpress log off, her icon fade to a grey colour. She logged off first and sat for a moment, smiling at her computer screen. Severa then stood up and rummaged through her fridge. Luckily she had cooked a ton over the weekend and could eat leftovers. As she put her food in the microwave, Severa tapped her fingers against the counter and stared at her nails. The polish she had put on a week ago was slowly chipping. Perhaps after her readings and questions, Severa would take the nail polish off and give her nails a bit of time to breathe before painting them again. Perhaps she could ask TheEmpress her opinion on colour and design. The microwave beeped, and Severa pushed her thoughts to the side. For now.

 

~

 

“Yes, hello, come in,” Inigo said flatly as Sever brushed past him on her way into his apartment. “Do feel free to drop in whenever you’d like.”

“If you were busy, you shouldn’t have opened the door,” Severa said over her shoulder. “ I just happened to be on this side of town, so you should be happy I even stopped by.”

Inigo rolled his eyes and huffed as he shut the door behind her, but she knew he wasn’t mad. Besides, she’d brought food to share. Inigo couldn’t stay annoyed with her for long. The bag in her arms was full of bagels from the corner store, and she was getting ready to drop it off on the counter when she realized something had changed about Inigo’s apartment.

Severa froze in her tracks and unceremoniously dropped the bagel bag on the counter at the sight of the very fancy bouquet filled with scarlet roses and white lilies that already sat there. She spun on her heel to face Inigo.

“What are those?” she demanded, pointing at the vase.

Inigo did not look swayed by her tone. In fact, there was a cockiness in his smile that he was clearly trying to suppress. Severa knew a story brewing when she saw one.

“Flowers,” Inigo said vaguely, opening a cabinet to reach for a plate.

“No,” Severa said, looking at the bouquet once more. It was a very nice bouquet. She almost wished she had a set in her own kitchen. “Those are _expensive_ flowers. You’d never waste money on those.”

Inigo frowned at the accusation. “I’ve bought flowers before.”

“But you’d buy more affordable ones first,” she countered. They both knew she was right. The bouquet really did look expensive. And fresh. It must have been a recent purchase. “And you’d definitely never buy anything like that for your own kitchen without a reason. What, did you go all out for a special someone and get rejected again?”

Inigo sniffed, tilting his nose up in the air. Severa scowled. She was pretty sure that was a mannerism he’d picked up from her and used to mock her these days.

“For your information,” Inigo said, sounding smug, “those were a gift.”

“A gift?” If those flowers were a gift, they had to be from someone who _really_ wanted to make an impression. Now Severa was dying to know the whole story. “From who? When? Tell me everything.”

Now Inigo’s self-satisfaction seemed to be melting away to make room for his natural shyness, but like hell Severa was going to let him hide anything after all this teasing.

Inigo set the plates on the counter and waved his hand. “You know. Someone.”

“Someone like _who_?” Severa demanded. She took another hard look at the bouquet and spotted a little piece of paper tucked behind the vase. She glanced up to make sure Inigo wasn’t looking and then darted out to grab it.

Inigo turned back around, plastic cups in hand. “So what did you—” He saw her reading the note. “Hey! That’s private!”

“It’s out on the counter where anyone can read it,” Severa shot back, quickly scanning the page and twisting the note out of Inigo’s reach at the same time. “Or isn’t that what you told Owain when you read his— _oh_.”

“ _Severa_ ,” Inigo whined.

She let him snatch the note back, but it was already too late. Severa had read it all. Inigo looked abashed. Severa crossed her arms, giving Inigo her best flat look.

“A secret admirer?” Severa asked. “Really? What is this, the 1800s?”

Inigo stuck out his tongue, tucking the letter safely behind the vase once more. She had to admit, it was a fancy note. Gold trim and everything. Somebody was probably compensating for something.

Inigo said, “You’re just jealous that I have an admirer and you don’t.”

Severa had already pulled out her phone. She opened a new text conversation and started adding names.

“One bouquet does not a secret admirer make,” she said absently, typing away. “And it’s probably some creepy old guy who wants to get you alone in his house so he can take pictures of you holding pineapples and touch you with his wrinkly hands.”

“I don’t care,” Inigo said, even though she suspected he did. “It’s the thought that counts. I appreciate anyone who loves dance as much as I do.”

“Nobody loves dance as much as you do.”

“But they can try.” Inigo smiled.

Sever snorted. “You never sound this dreamy when any of us give you a bouquet.”

“You guys give me singular flowers, not bouquets.” At Severa’s look and the word “ungrateful” on the tip of her tongue, Inigo held up his hands defensively. “Come on, you know what I mean! It’s not the same.” His eyes passed over the bouquet again, looking starstruck. His face softened. “Besides, I’ve never gotten anything signed from a secret admirer before.”

Severa tried to secretly snap a picture of the bouquet without Inigo noticing. It wasn’t hard.

“If all you wanted was a letter, I could have told Owain to sign your cards like that forever ago,” she said, attaching the photo to the text.

Inigo looked unimpressed.

“Please don’t,” he said. He noticed her phone and gave her a look. “Are you blogging when I’m trying to tell you about my love life right now?”

“Of course not,” Severa said, finally pressing send. “I’m telling everyone about this immediately.”

“What?” In that same moment, Inigo’s phone buzzed. Severa smirked to herself in accomplishment as Inigo read the group message she sent, grimacing as he scrolled down the page. “Aw, Sev, really? Everybody?”

Severa plopped down on one of Inigo’s kitchen barstools and crossed her legs. Inigo stood on the other side of the counter. “Don’t tell me you actually wanted to keep it a secret,” she said.

She tried to sound confident, but now that Inigo’s despair was starting to grate away at the fun of it all, she was a little worried she had made a mistake.

To her silent relief, Inigo, looking conflicted, said, “Well, not really…” At Severa’s stare, he scratched the back of his neck and continued, “It’s a little embarrassing, isn’t it? Everyone’s going to talk.”

It was, but Inigo probably loved that. She told him so.

“You love the attention,” she said.

“I do not!” Inigo lied, blushing.

“You absolutely do.”

This time Inigo didn’t deny it. Instead he reached for one of the cups he’d already laid out and started to pour a glass of water.

“Can’t we at least talk and eat?” he asked, trying to delay the inevitable. “Tell me you got something good.”

Severa huffed, propping her elbow up on the counter and placing her hand on her cheek. “Fine.” As Inigo took a peek inside the bagel bag, she said, “Lunch involved your favorite cream cheese, by the way.”

Inigo was already humming with delight, picking through the bag to grab the still cool cream cheese and a plain bagel. Those were the kinds Severa liked, but she’d thrown in the odd cinnamon or poppy seed bagels too. Those were the kind Inigo preferred. Nobody could say Severa wasn’t a good friend.

 

~

 

A couple days after visiting Inigo, Severa decided to finish writing a blog post on floral scented hand lotions she had been putting off for a little while. The draft had been sitting on her computer, incomplete, but with Inigo’s expensive flowers in the back of her mind, Severa got to work. She busily worked at it in between studying and homework, in the library and at home. When Severa was happy with it, editing over, it was late, almost eleven-thirty, but she decided to post it. Sometimes Severa couldn’t wait to see responses and replies. She’d keep the tab casually open on her computer and hope to see a notification on her phone. However, sometimes she liked going to bed and waking up with the hope of seeing replies and comments. It was like starting the day with a gift. So Severa posted it and started to get ready for bed. She kept her computer and the site open, just in case, as she made sure last minute dishes were done. Severa was almost finishing washing her mug out when her phone made a small beep, signalling she got something on her blog post. Severa nearly dropped her mug and raced over to her computer.

 **The Empress:** _I’m impressed with the level of detail as always! I’ve recently received a couple of the smaller bottles as gifts and thanks to your review I’m eager to use them. Thank you, Selena, for all your hard work._

Severa’s cheeks burned and her heart skipped a little. It was so late, and TheEmpress, despite all the work she had with running a family business, was up late enough, checked her blog, read her post, and left a comment. It was heartwarming. Severa wanted to scream from the rooftop about the development, but instead she calmly typed out a response.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I always work hard on my reviews! The product is one of my favourites, and I’m sure you’ll love them too. Enjoy, and if I can give a personal recommendation, the vanilla peach blossom is my all time favourite._

There. It didn’t sound too desperately happy she got a comment so soon. Severa stared for a moment longer and was about to shut her computer off, when the chat room lit up. Nearly jumping at the notification, Severa clicked on it, heart pounding. TheEmpress was still up? It felt too good to be true. This was outside of their regular chat time, and the change made Severa feel slightly dizzy with excitement as she read.

 **TheEmpress:** _I’m trying your suggestion out. I have to agree, this is a lovely smell._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I know, right? The vanilla peach blossom is the best!_

 **TheEmpress:** _I am in agreement with your expert advice, Selena._

 **TheEmpress:** _I’m sorry for messaging you so late. I couldn’t help it after seeing your reply._

Severa’s heart pounded and she quickly typed back an answer, lest TheEmpress get the wrong idea and that she was upset at her. Severa knew better than to be up late on certain nights and if she was sleep deprived in the morning, that was her own fault.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _It’s fine! I’m not in bed yet. How was your day?_

There. A change in topic was good. It seemed to work, as TheEmpress told Severa a little about her day and in turn Severa started to return the favour. Soon, they were chatting well beyond the time Severa should be in bed. Somehow, even when Severa had to force herself to say goodbye, she couldn’t regret staying up late and chatting with TheEmpress. Crawling into bed, Severa’s heart was light, full, and their conversation floating in her mind as she drifted off to sleep. Even when, the next morning, Severa woke up yawning loudly, all she had to do was check her phone and suddenly being sleep deprived didn’t feel so bad. On her screen was the tail end of their night conversation.

 **TheEmpress:** _Anyways, I’m sorry for keeping you up. I wish you the sweetest of dreams._

It was a simple gesture. People wished good night all the time, but with the wording, Severa couldn’t help but feel it was special and directly for her. It wasn’t done out of politeness, but out of a genuine desire to wish a pleasant sleep to her, Severa, specifically.

Severa didn’t want to admit to anyone that it was the chat in her pocket that was causing her to smile throughout the entire day.

 

~

 

They had known each other for a half a year already, but for some reason talking to TheEmpress always left Severa feeling giddy anyway. She’d let that information slip once, and Owain, calmly drinking a milkshake, had told her that it sounded like she had a crush. Severa had denied it vehemently, because you couldn’t get a crush on a person whose real name you didn’t know, whose face you had never seen, and Owain was full of it anyway. She just really liked having a friend who felt like they were on the same wavelength as her and was interested in all the same stuff. She liked that she didn’t have to prod TheEmpress for attention either, since TheEmpress seemed just as interested in Severa as the other way around. That didn’t make it a crush, she’d told Owain. That just meant Severa really liked having a friend who met all that criteria. It just made sense.

Owain had given her a sidelong look and continued drinking his milkshake like somebody who knew better than her. Severa, who hated that kind of thing, scowled.

Today, though giddiness was the last thing Severa was feeling while she spoke with TheEmpress. At best, the conversation was giving her a headache.

It wasn’t anything TheEmpress was saying that bothered Severa so much. It was the bright screen and small font that, combined with the regular pounding behind Severa’s eyes, hurt her head the most.

 **TheEmpress:** _I can’t help if I’m very particular about the things I buy. If I’m spending time and money on something, I want it to be worth my while. The supplier has a direct responsibility to provide quality service to the client._

 **TheEmpress:** _Selena?_

Severa blinked, rubbing her eyes. She had zoned out for a few minutes, she realized. It was hard to concentrate on anything besides her head and her sore throat for long.

She downed the glass of water next to her computer and made a face. Of course she was sick, but that didn’t mean she was going to let that get in the way of anything.

Except for work and class. Those she couldn’t bring herself to attend after taking one look at breakfast and shoving the box of cereal back in the cabinet. But conversations with TheEmpress couldn’t be missed for the world.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Sorry, I was gone for a minute._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I totally get what you mean though. I always do a ton of research before I buy anything big, and then half the time I end up returning it anyway. I don’t want to waste money buying something that isn’t as good or as useful as I thought it would be. It’s a good thing I like shopping or else it’d be a bigger pain than it already is._

 **TheEmpress:** _You’ve stepped away from the computer a lot today._

 **TheEmpress:** _If you’re busy, we can talk another time._

Severa’s response was quick. She didn’t want TheEmpress to think she was avoiding her for any reason. She didn’t want to push off talking either.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _No way! I’m here!_ _Not busy!_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Unless /you’re/ busy and you need a break, of course._

She tapped her foot against the carpet while she waited for TheEmpress to respond. It was hard when all she really wanted to do was fall asleep, but she forced herself to focus on the computer screen. She couldn’t take the computer to bed with her.

Well, theoretically she could have placed the laptop on her chest and looked at it that way. She’d done that before. But it already felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest, and even the additional weight of her thin laptop seemed like too much to handle.

She could have laid on her side and used her phone instead, but Severa dismissed that option for the same reason she didn’t use her phone to talk to TheEmpress on the way home from work or school. There was no mobile app for the chat client they used, and looking at the scrambled chatroom on her phone gave her a headache on a good day. Severa didn’t want to resort to laying in bed, squinting at her too-bright phone screen while she coughed herself to sleep. Besides, sitting upright felt better on her stuffy sinuses anyway.

Ugh, thinking about it like that made it feel like they were using shitty chatrooms from the 90s. Severa _liked_ living in a modern world. She thought she probably would have died way earlier if she didn’t.

Then she realized she had zoned out and left TheEmpress waiting on her again. Severa huffed out loud and tapped her index finger against the keyboard without typing anything, wondering what to say.

 **TheEmpress:** _Are you feeling alright?_

That was TheEmpress. Perceptive as ever.

Severa sighed. There was no use not coming clean.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Ugh, am I really that obvious?_

 **TheEmpress:** _Only to me, dear._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Yeah, I feel like hot garbage that somebody put through the blender. I probably have a cold or something._

 **TheEmpress:** _Really? You feel that bad from just a cold?_

 **TheEmpress:** _Did you check your temperature?_

TheEmpress had a bit of a doting streak, and while Severa secretly liked the attention a little, she also had an image to keep up.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Who even owns a thermometer anymore?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I’m probably fine. I’ll just sleep it off or whatever._

 **TheEmpress:** _Do you need anything? Blankets, soup, medicine, etc?_

Severa rolled her eyes fondly. She could have used some more water, but that required getting up and going to the kitchen. There was no way Severa was moving from her spot for the next six hours. Or for as long as she could get away with it, at least.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _What are you, my mom?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Thanks but no thanks. While I’m sure you’d be a great nurse, I’m going to handle this one myself._

On a whim, she added:

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Besides, you probably live halfway across the world anyway._

 **TheEmpress:** _If I really lived that far away, one of us would be talking to the other in the middle of the night right now._

 **TheEmpress:** _...you’re not, are you?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _As if!! I need my beauty sleep!_

 **TheEmpress:** _Just checking. I would be quite disappointed if you were, especially since you probably need the rest._

 **TheEmpress:** _But you know things like remote delivery exist now, right?_

Severa considered it. She knew apps like that existed. If she were really desperate, she could get some cold medicine delivered to her home as if it were takeout food. But stuff like that could add up, and she didn’t think she was that desperate yet anyway. It wasn’t like she was so sick she couldn’t leave the house on her own. She just felt a little crappy.

Besides, what were friends and family for if they wouldn’t take care of you when you needed it? Severa had brought food to Owain before when he’d been really sick. He definitely still owed her.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Yeah, I guess, but I don’t want to download anything new right now. I’ll probably just sleep it off, like I said._

 **TheEmpress:** _I mean I could have things remotely delivered to you even if we did live far apart._

 **TheEmpress:** _And if you’re worried about things like privacy, there are services that allow you to give a delivery company your address directly if I gave them your phone number. I wouldn’t have to know anything._

It felt as though somebody had dumped a bucket of hot water over Severa’s head. Her heart had suddenly begun to pound, and the whole room suddenly felt as stuffy as her nose. She blamed it all on her cold.

TheEmpress and Severa had only ever spoken through text. They had never called each other or even exchanged real names. Severa had no idea what TheEmpress’s voice even sounded like, if it was high or low or curled around Severa’s name pleasantly when she spoke…

Her face suddenly felt even hotter. Severa brushed thoughts of Owain’s knowing look out of her mind.

Stranger danger was a thing, right? Even though Severa pretty much trusted TheEmpress already, there was no way she could accept an offer like that. Besides, it was too generous.

Apparently put off by her silence, TheEmpress had sent another message.

 **TheEmpress:** _I care about you, and I don’t want you suffering if I can help at all. I hope this isn’t coming off as too forward._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _It’s not that!_

Even though it kind of was. Not that Severa wanted to say that. TheEmpress was her friend. It wasn’t her fault Severa was overwhelmed.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _It’s just not necessary! I really appreciate the offer, but I don’t really need anything at the moment. I’m not /that/ sick._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Thanks, though._

 **TheEmpress:** _Don’t you know I like doing things for the people I care about? Necessary or not._

 **TheEmpress:** _But if that’s how you feel, that’s alright. Just keep in mind that the offer is on the table if you want it._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Thanks._

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. What else was there to say? TheEmpress’s offer had thrown her for a loop.

Exchanging phone numbers, talking on the phone, texting throughout the day instead of waiting until they could both sit down for a while to talk…

The thought wasn’t a _bad_ one, per say. It just made Severa’s nerves light up as though they were on fire. TheEmpress hadn’t said she’d use Severa’s phone number to actually call or do anything besides deliver some medicine, but the option would always be on the table after that. And what was the point of exchanging phone numbers if you didn’t use them?

The wary part of Severa pushed that option away for multiple reasons. What if her voice cracked on the phone? What if she didn’t sound as composed or cool as TheEmpress when she didn’t have the time to type out her thoughts? What if she annoyed TheEmpress by texting too much? What if she said something too mean and TheEmpress realized she was a big jerk? It hadn’t happened yet, but Severa knew her mouth got ahead of her sometimes. She didn’t want to risk it. Things were fine as they were.

There were lots of people in the world who had online friendships, met those online friends in real life, and then had a great time being besties IRL. Severa wasn’t sure she was one of those people. She wasn’t even the type to give out her real name after talking to a trusted friend online for six months.

Severa was off-putting, she knew. She could be loud and presumptuous, and TheEmpress was a professional business woman. They might not mesh.

Also, there was the paranoid part of her brain that was secretly afraid TheEmpress was forty year old guy who lived in a basement somewhere who was secretly catfishing her. Severa liked to think she was smart enough to figure something like that out by now, but she couldn’t help the thought. There were people Severa had gone to school with for over ten years that she never wanted to meet outside the school grounds. She didn’t want TheEmpress to be one of them.

She and TheEmpress could get to know each other for a little longer, and then Severa would think about things like trading numbers or meeting up sometime. Maybe.

Severa leaned back in her chair, sighing. Her eye caught the electronic clock in the corner of the screen, and she realized she had zoned out again. There was no way she could keep the conversation up. Not with her slowly worsening headache and the thoughts now swirling around her head. She sighed again, even heavier this time, and then immediately fell into a coughing fit.

Her chest ached. Maybe she needed some medicine after all.

When the coughing died down, Severa typed out her response and hit send. This time TheEmpress had waited for Severa to say more before replying. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Anyway, I think I’m going to head out. Sorry. I’m probably going to eat dinner and then go to sleep early._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I’m not upset that you offered to deliver stuff for me, btw. I appreciate it. I’m just tired._

 **TheEmpress:** _Get some rest if you need it. I’ll still be here when you get back._

Severa smiled a little.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Thanks again. You’re a good friend._

They said their goodbyes, and Severa logged off. She rubbed her sore eyes as she closed the laptop screen. If there was one thing she and TheEmpress had agreed about, it was that she really needed some rest.

Severa stood up from her chair and wandered into the kitchen to slowly make herself a bowl of macaroni and cheese. It was all she really had the energy for at the moment.

 

~

 

In the end Severa had caught a cold and was forced to lay in bed, coughing and hacking, complete with a stuffy nose. It was frustrating to try functioning with a fuzzy mind, so the moment Severa felt better physically she went out to make herself feel better mentally.

That meant bright and early she got out of her apartment and headed to the nearest mall. Severa hummed on her way, deciding to walk the distance rather than take the bus. The day was clear and with summer slowly rolling in, Severa was looking forward to the weather and the change in wardrobe.

Inside the mall people were already milling around, but Severa knew how to dodge people and move around to her favourite stores. Making a stop by a coffee place first, Severa ordered and then went shopping. Clothes, music, books, makeup: it was all there for her, waiting to be plucked. Severa went to a clothes shop first, taking time to try clothes on, return items, and pick new ones. By the time Severa had left the shop, she had a ton of new items and a smile on her face. Deciding her next stop would be to the bookstore, Severa was so wrapped up in her destinations, that she almost missed the waving of a tall blond person. However that wouldn’t have mattered as a second later, Owain was at her side, warm and flush, arms wrapped around her body, picking her up.

“Severa!” He proclaimed, beaming. “Fancy seeing you here!”

“Owain…” Severa squirmed. “If you cause me to drop my new clothes…”

Owain set her down. “I’d never dream of hindering your shopping trip.”

Severa brushed her body of nonexistent dirt and glowered. “Good, because they’d be hell to pay if you did.”

Owain laughed loudly. As if a few people weren’t staring at them already. Severa didn’t care. She had known Owain for far too long. He was always boisterous and bright. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Heading your way to the bookstore too?” Owain asked.

“Yes, I was,” Severa replied.

“Then let’s go!” Owain grabbed her hand and began to walk.

If it were anyone else, Severa would have hissed at the assumption that they could join her, but with Owain, Severa didn’t mind. Keeping her pace with Owain, Severa followed him into the bookstore. Owain remained fixed at her side, even when Severa knew he’d rather be in the sci-fi and fantasy section rather than the health and beauty section. Severa bumped him lightly with her shoulder in silent appreciation. The magazine she liked to read off and on had a new edition and she was determined to get it. Picking the new issue up, Severa was about the thumb through it when her phone vibrated in her pocket.

“Hold this.” She handed the magazine to Owain.

“Right.” He didn’t bat an eyelash. “Say, how’s the conversation going with that makeup girl?”

Severa froze. She had brought it up once, just in passing and instantly she felt regret. Not that she was ashamed of her friendship, just… Thankfully she was saved when her phone vibrated in her pocket again. Fishing her phone out, Severa stared at the screen, a message from Inigo in the notifications.

“It’s Inigo,” She told Owain.

“What is he saying?”

Severa unlocked her phone and read the messages aloud.

 **Inigo:** _Hey Severa_

 **Inigo:** _Are you free now?_

“Well I suppose we both are?” Owain titled his head. Severa hummed in acknowledgement and began to type an answer.

 **Severa:** _Yes, I am. I’m also with Owain._

 **Inigo:** _You are? Well that’s good. Would you two like to meet me up for coffee?_

“Coffee’s good,” Owain stated.

 **Severa:** _Sure, where at?_

 **Inigo:** _Glenwood Cafe?_

Glenwood Cafe… That was downtown and not too far. Severa and Owain could walk over with ease.

 **Severa:** _We’ll be over in about fifteen minutes._

Slipping her phone into her pocket, Severa then took the magazine from Owain. “I told him we’ll be over in fifteen.”

“Okay,” Owain agreed. “Are you purchasing that?”

“Of course.” Severa grinned.

 

~

 

They made it to the cafe before Inigo. Owain gently set Severa’s bags on the extra chair. Severa then beelined to the counter and bought herself a smoothie and Owain coffee and a bagel. She wasn’t an ungrateful person after all. Owain eagerly accepted the food and began to dig in. Within moments he had cream cheese on the top of his lip. He didn’t notice. Of course. Not that Severa had time to tell Owain (or feel the urge to tell him) as Inigo arrived, buying himself tea before he sat down.

“So, uh… remember that… admirer?”

Oh no. Severa cracked her knuckles. “Yes…” she cautiously said.

“The one who gifted you anonymously flowers of beauty and admiration of your skills and talents as a dancer?” Owain asked.

“Uh… yes.” Inigo flushed. “I… um… I met him.”

So it was a guy. Severa’s eyes narrowed. “And?”

“His name is Xander,” Inigo said. “And… he’s… Well, he’s very nice.”

Nice meant a ton of things. Severa held her tongue and let Inigo continue to talk. Perhaps this Xander was just a nice man who wanted to show appreciation to Inigo. That was a possibility.

“And, uh… Well, we accidentally met in a coffee shop and then, uh, we had a coffee date and a dinner date at _Giovanni’s_ , and I was just on a date with him at the Rosewood Art…”

Hold it. What? Severa’s mind mentally did the math. Inigo had the flowers during his spring production and had received a couple more for some other productions… Then he just happens to meet the guy at a coffee shop and they’re dating? Severa had heard about coincidence, but this felt too good, like a cheesy romantic movie.

“Wait, your paths crossed in a coffee shop?” Owain’s eyes were wide. “Does he have super powers? What’s his job?”

“Um… I’m not too sure? Business?” Inigo weakly answered.

Where did Owain even… Severa wasn’t going to ask. She had known Owain for far too long. But more importantly…

“Wait a second,” Severa said with narrowed eyes, “First of all, why is this the first time I’m hearing about all this?”

Inigo squirmed, out right squirmed and his cheeks flushed. “I told you, I’ve been busy. Besides, it didn’t feel right over text.”

“But you _always_ talk about your failed dates,” Severa couldn’t help but point out. “I can’t ever get you to _stop_ talking about them.”

 “Rude…” Inigo muttered before taking a sip of his tea.

“It’s probably because the date wasn’t failed this time,” Owain mused. The cream cheese smear was still on his lip, even with Inigo trying to subtly hint at wiping it. “He’s probably been too nervous. You didn’t even do the asking this time, right?”

Of course Inigo was. Severa knew how he stammered and flushed. That wasn’t the next issue anyways.

“ _Secondly_.” Severa played with her straw in her empty smoothie cup. “You said you don’t even know what this guy does?”

Inigo promptly answered, a bit firmer this time, stating business again. Severa frowned. That sounded too vague. What kind of person didn’t tell what their job was unless it was illegal? She expressed her thought and immediately regretted it as Owain latched onto it and spun a story that sounded more like a cheap Batman rip off with cheesy romance attached. By the time Owain was done, Inigo looked like he was about to collapse and Severa was sure the group near them were scared away.

“Thanks,” Inigo’s voice was flat. “Alternatively, have you considered the fact Xander probably has a normal job at an office somewhere, and we just haven’t talked about it yet? We’ve only been on, like, two dates.”

Severa was quick to correct him. Inigo did his best to defend himself and his mysterious date, and in the end, Severa couldn’t really argue with Inigo. He was an adult and he could make choices. He was a romantic, but she knew he wouldn’t rush into something dangerous. Expressing that (complete with some dark humour) Severa felt the conversation end. She decided to tell Owain about the cream cheese. His reaction made the air feel lighter. 

Only for Owain to pick it back up. “Hey, how are things going with that girl you’re chatting with online?”

Inigo perked up (the traitor) and Severa found herself flushing. “We’re not dating!” Severa wished she didn’t sound hasty. “I don’t even know what she looks like. We’re just friends.”

Owain gave a look, complete with wiggling his eyebrows. “Just _friends_ or—”

“We talk about makeup,” Severa immediately said. She wished her sunglasses covered her expression more. “That’s it.”

“Really?” Inigo slyly added. “Is that all?”

Yes! Severa wanted to shout. Instead she grumbled a little. At once her conversation with TheEmpress floated in her mind, about exchanging phone numbers. It sent a spark in her body as Severa once again imagined the possibilities. She would be able to text TheEmpress any time she wanted. Being confined to computer only hadn’t felt restricting until TheEmpress brought up phone numbers. Suddenly Severa found herself daydreaming slightly, imagining what it would be like to have that potential, that move in their communication. Text messages… then maybe pictures… then… phoning?

Severa immediately shook her head of the thought and focused on the conversation. TheEmpress had just offered out of politeness, not because she really wanted to text Severa. It was concern and kindness that wasn’t meant to be acted on. Severa knew it. So she buried the tempting idea of texting TheEmpress deep in her mind. It wouldn’t become a reality and Severa wasn’t wasting time hoping for nothing.

 

~

 

 **TheEmpress:** _Did you know that my brother can’t swim?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Boss or Bookworm?_

Not that it particularly mattered since they were both grown adults, but…

 **TheEmpress:** _Boss._

She could practically feel TheEmpress’s amusement through the screen. Severa smiled for a moment and then gagged. A guy like a Boss couldn’t swim?

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Isn’t he in his 30s? And also in charge of practically everything you guys do?_

 **TheEmpress:** _My other siblings and I do use our brains to work independently from time to time, thank you. Do give us some credit._

 **TheEmpress:** _But yes._

Severa laughed. She liked moments like these. Moments where she could tell TheEmpress was in a lighter mood than usual, teasing during their idle talks. They weren’t really talking about anything in particular, but Severa almost valued that more than talking seriously all the time. It was nice to take a break from debating the value of this or that face mask or foot cream sometimes.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _How does that even happen? Weren’t you ever taught?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Wait._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _YOU can swim, right?_

If not, there went Severa’s dreams taking a roadtrip to the beach or sitting poolside with TheEmpress sometime, working on their tans, testing out new lotions and sunscreen for Severa’s blog…

 _Not_ that she’d been thinking about anything like that. Severa was alone in her room, but she quickly shook her head anyway, emptying that ridiculous daydream out of her ears like seawater.

 **TheEmpress:** _Of course I can swim._

 **TheEmpress:** _What else would I do at the beach besides sunbathe then?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Good_. _Me too._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _But how does that even happen?_

 **TheEmpress:** _Our father tried. When we were children, we could tell he always wanted us to get a head start at everything we did. We took swim lessons._

 **TheEmpress:** _But Boss was like a lead weight. He picked up everything so easily and worked hard to excel at everything he couldn’t, but swimming was just the one thing he couldn’t grasp, even as a child._

It was Severa who had given TheEmpress’s siblings nicknames. TheEmpress had enough of them that it was difficult to keep track of them all without any. TheEmpress might have told Severa their real names or given her siblings nicknames of her own once upon a time, but Severa had let hers slip once and, after a lot of proverbial eyebrow raising and embarrassed elaboration, Severa’s had stuck. TheEmpress’s amusement was practically palpable in the air every time Severa saw her use it.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _So sunk no matter what?_

 **TheEmpress:** _We gave him one of those floating toys and told him not to swim to the deep end._

 **TheEmpress:** _Eventually he learned to prefer sticking his feet in the water and keeping to the shallows. And goading my other brother into the water despite his protests. It’s not exactly a secret in the family that he can’t swim, but I don’t think Boss admits it much to others._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Wow. And here I thought Boss was supposed to be just as perfect as you._

She had hit send without thinking, but the moment Severa realized what she had said, her face tingled with fresh embarrassment.

You couldn’t just _say_ that to a person, she scolded herself. She was already typing quickly to cover her tracks.

 **TheEmpress:** _Oh? Perfect? You flatter me, dear._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I didn’t mean it like that!_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Blugh._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Forget I said anything._

 **TheEmpress:** _Don’t be embarrassed. I appreciate it._

 **TheEmpress:** _Everyone has flaws, but I’m glad to know mine aren’t as obvious to you._

TheEmpress was laughing. She knew it. Severa’s fingers itched to take it all back with a vengeance.

She forced herself to breathe out through her nose and focus on something else. TheEmpress had told her a family secret. If they were being open with each other, it was only right Severa share something along the same lines.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Not everyone._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _My parents are perfect at everything, for example._

 **TheEmpress:** _Oh? I’m surprised to hear you idolize your parents so much. But it’s sweet that you do._

 _I_ **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _It’s not that. It’s just a fact._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _My parents are perfect at literally everything._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Setting up a tent? Done in seconds._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Their jobs? The day is micromanaged down to the minute._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Archery? Fencing? Perfect in both._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Grades in school? All A’s, all the time._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _It’s just the way I grew up._

 **TheEmpress:** _So perfect parents must have made a perfect daughter then._

There was the implication of something more in there. Severa shook her head.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _They wish. I screw everything up the first time around._

And the second. And often the third. Severa had worked _hard_ to get where she was now, to learn to get up again rather than avoid everything she’d never done before out of fear masked as laziness.

The memory of that steeled something in her chest.

 **TheEmpress:** _I’m sure your parents must have worked hard to become as skilled as they are. They probably weren’t as perfect as they appear the first time they tried archery or fencing or any of those other things._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Not really._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _They’re naturally talented. Everyone says I look just like my mom, too. I can tell they’re disappointed when I’m not as talented as her either._

It was an old wound, but one that still ached when prodded. Severa was beginning to regret going down this road.

 **TheEmpress:** _Clearly they weren’t very good at being supportive parents if you grew up believing anybody perceived you as a disappointment._

Severa paused mid-keystroke. She stared at the screen, a complicated mix of feelings welling up in her chest.

She wanted to be angry on behalf of her parents, who loved her—and she was angry, definitely—but there was sadness and appreciation in there too. Those and other messy feelings fought each other for dominance in her chest. It was enough that Severa didn’t know what to say for a moment. If TheEmpress had been standing there in front of her, she might have snapped.

But she wasn’t. Severa had time to think.

TheEmpress seemed to regret saying as much as well, since a second later a new message popped up on the screen.

 **TheEmpress:** _I’m sorry._

 **TheEmpress:** _That was too far._

 **TheEmpress:** _I don’t like the idea of you belittling yourself or being belittled by others for not living up to your parent’s legacy, but I shouldn’t have said that. I apologize._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Yeah, probably not._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _But it’s fine. Thanks._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Seriously, I have a lot of weird feelings about my parents sometimes. I probably would have needed to hear something like that when I was younger. I was the biggest mess as a teenager._

 **TheEmpress:** _Most of us are._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _But to be fair, my parents always supported me and told me they loved me. They never did anything to make me feel bad. It was just my own dumb brain getting in the way._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Anyway, sorry for bringing the conversation down. The topic of being perfect came up, so it made sense in my head, but I probably shouldn’t have said anything. Sorry._

 **TheEmpress:** _You don’t have to apologize. I’m glad you shared your feelings with me. I had a complex relationship with my parents too, especially in our later years._

 **TheEmpress:** _At one point it seemed like my father had become a completely different man from the one I believed him to be. Suddenly nothing we did seemed to be good enough for him._

 **TheEmpress:** _But that’s in the past now. Sometimes I still find myself thinking about it, but that’s simply life. I’m glad you were able to share your experience with me._

The last bit of tension that had been drawn taught like an iron wire in Severa’s gut finally loosened upon reading TheEmpress’s words. They may not have grown up in the exact same situation, but TheEmpress could at least relate. She understood a little more now why TheEmpress had seemingly snapped just a moment ago. It sounded like TheEmpress’s situation had been a little worse than Severa’s own. TheEmpress had probably been thinking of her own parents, Severa thought.

At least Severa’s mother and father had always made a point to tell Severa that she was fine the way she was, especially after it became clear Severa didn’t agree. She was sad TheEmpress had something similar of an experience, but part of her was grateful they could relate.

But like TheEmpress had said, that was in the past now. Severa had mostly moved beyond all that. She hoped TheEmpress had too.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Thanks for being understanding. I’m sorry your dad turned into such a loser later on._

For a moment she thought that might have been too much. TheEmpress’s response was a relief.

 **TheEmpress:** _I appreciate it._

 **TheEmpress:** _But let’s not drag ourselves down with memories of feeling sorry for ourselves. The night is young, we are new, and I can hear my sister talking on the phone about trying a new cake recipe again._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _There’s not going to be a fire this time, right?_

 **TheEmpress:** _We shall have to wait and see._

 **TheEmpress:** _There are new fire extinguishers under the kitchen sink, just in case._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _If there is, hopefully there will be less burned eyebrows this time._

 **TheEmpress:** _I bought a new eyebrow kit for that exact scenario._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _You’re prepared for everything, aren’t you?_

 **TheEmpress:** _I do try._

 

~

 

Severa tapped her pen against her notebook as she waited for class to start. Her conversations with TheEmpress floated around in her mind. A couple readings for her class were left half done as Severa spent the previous night before chatting with TheEmpress. It turned out that the baking of the cake didn’t go too horribly wrong, though the kitchen was in a state of disarray afterwards. TheEmpress had laughed about it, stating how they spent more time cleaning up than it took the prepare the cake. However, it was worth it in the end when the cake turned out. TheEmpress had taken a photo and sent it through the chat. Severa had been expecting a completely lopsided cake, but the cake looked decent. The icing job was smooth and the side of the cake had icing flowers piped along the side. Overall, it looked delicious and, according to TheEmpress, tasted delicious too.

It had been nice, to have a conversation that wasn’t just about makeup or beauty products. Not that Severa didn’t enjoy having those discussions with TheEmpress. It was refreshing to have someone who shared her interest and passionately respond back, but daily conversations were also great. It made Severa feel like they were getting closer, more willing to randomly share a fact about themselves or ask how the other was doing. In a normal relationship, Severa wouldn’t be hesitant to try getting a little closer, see how the other felt about her, but with TheEmpress, their relationship felt special, delicate. TheEmpress and her offer of exchanging phone numbers was a step Severa was suddenly finding herself wanting to take.

Stranger Danger was always a relevant topic for online relationships, but Severa also felt that someone would have to be rather dedicated to spend countless hours just discussing makeup. TheEmpress had also been very respectful and polite, never pushing Severa for information. In fact, TheEmpress was almost more cautious than Severa. It made her feel real and tangible. Severa touched her phone and found herself wondering yet again how instant communication would go with TheEmpress. Her heart fluttered at the idea, and Severa decided waffling on a decision was tedious. Either she told TheEmpress yes or she told her no.

With that in mind, after her class Severa texted Owain. He was on campus, and his class was ending in about fifteen minutes. Sometimes when Severa didn’t have to run off to work or Owain didn’t have a study session with his classmates, they’d meet up for coffee and chat. Thankfully, he was free and with that Severa made her way to Brewsters, a coffee shop upstairs in the student union building. Inside were many couches, tables, and bean bags for people to sit on. Severa knew Owain loved the bean bags, so she snagged a couple in the corner and ordered herself a drink.

Owain easily found her, bounding in with his messenger bag flopping against his side. He flopped down, warm and familiar beside her. Owain was a furnace, and there never seemed to be a time he wasn’t radiating heat. Severa snuggled closer.

“Hello, Severa!” Owain snuggled back, “How was class?”

“Boring,” She replied. “We just went over readings. How was yours?”

Owain hummed. “We are having a quiz later this week. I hope I do well.”

“A quiz for… Political History?” Severa asked, trying to remember Owain’s class schedule.

“Yes, that’s the one.” Owain laughed.

Severa sipped her coffee. “The one with the cute blond boy?”

At this, Owain spluttered but was saved from answering when the waitress brought his coffee over. He eagerly took the cup and sipped to avoid answering for a moment longer. Severa took the opportunity to press and tease.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” She poked his side.

“He just sits beside me in class,” Owain mumbled. “We exchange notes if one of us misses class or something.”

“Sure…” Severa drawled. “That’s why you talk about him.”

Owain pouted, his cheeks slightly pink. “Never mind me. How’s it going with that makeup girl?”

Severa swallowed. Right. The reason why she asked Owain to hang out with her. Not that she didn’t want to see him, but for all his dramatic antics (he was after all, a drama major, so no surprises from anyone) Owain was perceptive and thoughtful. Going to him for advice was always a good choice.

“Is it bad?” Owain took her silence as a negative.

“Oh, no it isn’t.” Severa hastily scrambled her reply together. “It’s going well… In fact…”

Owain leaned closer, silently supporting her to take her time speaking.

“She, uh… suggested we exchange numbers. Like phone numbers,” Severa clarified.

“Phone numbers?” Owain mused. “And what did you say?”

“I diverted the subject,” Severa answered.

“So you haven’t answered her,” Owain concluded.

“I…” Severa opened her mouth to defend herself, but Owain was right. She pouted and tugged at her hair. “I’m not avoiding the answer for forever…”

Owain took another sip of his coffee and leaned into the beanbag. “Phone numbers are intimate details about ourselves. You have been talking to this girl for a long time.”

“Yeah, but like what if…” Severa quickly found a roadblock. “What if the number is long distance or something?”

“There are plans for that,” Owain retorted, “If you two truly want something you can work out details, like negotiations and conditions. Then if something happens and it’s uncomfortable you can always block her. And if it gets too uncomfortable changing phone numbers is a thing.”

He was making so much sense. Severa sipped her drink and felt like the answer was forming neatly in front of her. Owain was right. Giving a number was intimate but it wasn’t the end of the world. TheEmpress had been very accommodating and respectful so far. Severa had to trust what she knew about her and just… go for it.

“You’re… I guess you got a point,” Severa conceded.

Owain beamed. “That means you’re going to establish a further connection with her and have your relationship blossom into a…”

Severa shoved Owain a little, toppling him over, her face flushed. “Don’t say it like that.”

“It’s romantic,” Owain defended himself. “From a simple line of words on the internet a relationship blooms forth with a chance taken to engage in conversation and…”

Severa shoved Owain over again, huffing, her cheeks pink. She wanted to say something to Owain, but all she could do was feel settled inside. Her response to the proposal from TheEmpress was clear in her mind. Deep in her chest, Severa’s heart fluttered at the idea of something new. Not that she’d ever admit to it.

 

~

 

That evening, Severa waited at her laptop, her knees drawn up to her chest. Her fingers were on the keyboard, twitching, and the chat screen was open on the side. TheEmpress wasn’t on yet, and it had given Severa’s heart plenty of time to backflip, flip flop, and twist around her rib cage. Severa could have opened another screen and attempted to not think about her chat, but she found herself glued to the screen. She had spent a good twenty minutes considering how she’d bring the topic back to exchanging phone numbers. So far, she wasn’t sure how to naturally do it.

The icon lit green and it was too late for Severa to ponder anymore. Soon a message popped up in the chat.

 **TheEmpress:** _Hello, Selena. I hope you had a pleasant day?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Hello, Empress. Yes, I did. Though class was boring._

 **TheEmpress:** _Oh? Do tell?_

Severa’s fingers paused on the keyboard. This was her chance. She could tell TheEmpress about meeting up with a friend and discussing exchanging phone numbers. Then Severa shook her head at that idea. It sounded too childish to state it like that.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _We just went over readings and explanations for said readings._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Actually… I spent most of today… thinking about your proposal._

 **TheEmpress:** _Proposal? I think dinner would be the first step, Selena._

Severa flushed at the wording and the obvious joke she fell into. She could practically hear the purring of amusement on the other end.  Her heart pounded against her chest harshly and she quickly typed back a response.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I… I didn’t mean… I mean not that I’m adversed to… Look, I mean exchanging phone numbers._

There. She said it. Severa chewed her lip a little as she waited for a reply. A long painful minute later a response came up.

 **TheEmpress:** _You’ve considered it? In what way?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I’d… like that. A lot._

Severa then flushed hard and quickly added to her statement. Negotiations and conditions, as Owain had said.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I mean… I have some rules. Like… let’s stick to texting for now. And… if we want to try calling each other I need at least a day’s notice! Oh, and don’t sell my number to anyone or any company!_

There was a long pause again before TheEmpress responded. This time, Severa couldn’t help but shiver at the words. Even though she couldn’t hear the tone, Severa somehow felt it was calm, serious, and more importantly not laughing off her conditions. Respect. TheEmpress always showed her it.

 **TheEmpress:** _Of course, Selena. I wouldn’t dream of abusing your trust. The same conditions also apply to me as well._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Yeah, I won’t do anything nefarious with your number._

 **TheEmpress:** _Excellent!_

They exchanged numbers and Severa’s heart couldn’t help but jump as she saw the area code. It was the same as hers. Of course, the area code spanned a large region and that still didn’t mean TheEmpress was close, but it further solidified that they were living in the same general area. Severa carefully entered the number, foolishly wondering if, perhaps, some day, they’d meet in person. It was a long stretch and no doubt it would never happen, but musing were often fleeting things. Nothing to get too wrapped up in.

 

~

 

Severa hadn’t expected to enjoy texting TheEmpress— _Camilla_ —as much as she did, but every new buzz of her phone send another spark of excitement lacing through her fingertips as she looked at her messages, knowing it would be Camilla’s name looking back at her.

Camilla. That was TheEmpress’s name.

She hadn’t expected to share their names as well as their phone numbers, but Severa had begun searching for a crown emoji to put in place of TheEmpress’s real name in her phone when a new message had popped up on the computer screen right under TheEmpress’s phone number.

 **TheEmpress:** _You can put Camilla as the contact name._

Severa had read that line again and again until she could practically hear the intonation in her head.

“Camilla,” she had said aloud, instinctually. It sounded beautiful. Severa imagined Camilla as a real live empress, clad in a stylish cape and imposing throne. She didn’t know what Camilla looked like, but it was a striking image nonetheless.

She hadn’t expected to give TheEmpress her name until “TheEmpress” had become “Camilla.” She found herself typing _You can call me Severa_ and hitting send before she could psyche herself out about moving too fast. Phone numbers were definitely a step past first names, she told herself.

Then she waited, heart pounding for no real reason. She saved Camilla as a contact in her phone. Another message popped up on the computer screen.

 **TheEmpress:** _Selena is lovely, but somehow I like Severa more._

Severa’s breath had caught like something out of one of Inigo’s cheesy romance movies. When she was young, she remembered being teased in school for “Severa” and “severe” being too alike and living up to her name.

But Camilla said it was lovely.

She thought their texting would be hesitant, slow, but Severa sent off a testing text just to make sure they both had the right phone numbers and they hadn’t stopped since. They still had their normal talking times, yes, but now Severa could send a picture of cheap eyeliner she found at the corner store or send an annoyed text about a guy bragging way too loudly on a phone call in the middle of the day and hear back from Camilla much faster than if she had to wait until she got home.

Sometimes there were long pauses between messages whenever Severa was busy with work or class and Camilla was busy with her own agenda, but ultimately they got back to each other in the end. Every new text message felt like a rush to Severa’s chest.

“Wow,” Owain said from the space next to her. They were back in Brewsters, back in the same bean bag, but it felt like a whole new world to Severa. “Hasn’t it only been a week?”

“A week since what?” Severa retorted, her tone verging on biting. She knew what Owain meant. “It’s nothing.”

Owain continued to type away on his laptop, working on an essay or his manuscript or whatever he did when Severa wasn’t around. “Uh-huh. Nothing.”

She elbowed him in the arm, glancing back down at her phone as it silently buzzed with another text alert. Severa immediately typed out a response. Camilla was shoe shopping, and Severa liked that she was being asked her opinion in real time. If Camilla bought the beige pumps instead of the ruby, she’d practically be committing a crime. It was definitely Severa’s job to keep that from happening.

Severa stuck out her tongue at Owain when she was finished.

“So what?” she said. “You were the one who said we should exchange numbers.”

“You made that choice yourself,” Owain said. There wasn’t much space on the bean bag, large as it was, so their sides were touching. “I’m just saying, you look pretty happy for somebody who was so nervous about using her phone number to message a friend just last week.”

Severa scrolled through some of her favorite blogs as she waited for Camilla to respond.

“You’re just jealous because Inigo is too busy hanging out with his new fancy boyfriend to spend time with us right now. Well, guess _what_ , mister? I’m still here. That’s right. Me. Severa. I still have time for the little people. I’ll take your thanks in long handwritten letters or Starbucks gift cards.”

Owain snorted into his drink. Severa didn’t take her eyes off the phone screen, but she knew she had him.

“Inigo’s in his honeymoon period,” Owain said knowingly, wiping his chin with the back of his arm. “So are you.”

“Shut up,” Severa grumbled. She nudged his ankle with her foot. “I told you I’m not dating anybody.”

Owain tipped his cup in her direction, pointing. “You don’t have to be dating to be in the honeymoon stage.”

Instead of directly acknowledging that, Severa said, “If you spill even a drop of that on me, I’m never coming here with you again.”

Owain pulled his arm back.

“ _Honeymoon period_ ,” he whispered at her under his breath, knowing Severa could hear.

Severa rolled her eyes at him. Her phone buzzed with a message from Camilla once more.

 

~

 

The next weekend Severa picked up a ticket Inigo had left her for one of his shows, snapped a picture of herself in the audience before the show started, and sent him a congratulatory text when it was all over. She didn’t stick around to say he’d done a good job in person. With all the talk of his boyfriend every time she messaged him lately, she figured Inigo would probably want to see Xander first thing instead of wasting time with her.

She wasn’t jealous. Or maybe she was, but not in a way she’d ever admit. In some ways she wasn’t sure it was jealousy at all, actually. Admittedly, she’d been a little hurt that Inigo had waited so long to tell her about his dates with Xander. Apparently Owain had been in the same boat, which made her feel a little better, but it had still stung. She certainly had never waited to tell Inigo and Owain about her own dates, especially after they had all decided to move to the same city and the rest of their family and friends had stayed back home. Owain and Inigo were almost always her first point of contact for things like that.

Not that she went on many dates these days. But that was beside the point.

Inigo had brushed off her warnings about how weird it was that he didn’t know what Xander did after three dates. He had asked eventually and things had turned out to be normal, yeah, but for a moment it had still hurt that he didn’t take her concern very seriously. That Severa could forgive. She was stubborn a lot of the time too.

But after that, when Inigo’s texts weren’t about dance practice, they were about Xander. Xander this, Xander that, Xander, Xander, Xander. Severa could gag on all the information about Xander she knew now.

Severa wasn’t exactly upset, per say. She wanted what was best for Inigo and if his boyfriend made him happy, then good for him. But it was just too much.

So Severa had backed off. Just a bit.

It wasn’t like she and Inigo weren’t friends still. They were, and if there was an emergency she still expected to be called. But Severa didn’t feel bad about not saying goodbye after the show because it probably would have just turned into a “talk about Xander” fest anyway. And she had eased up on texting Inigo randomly during the day now that she had Camilla to talk to as well.

Camilla was no substitute for Inigo, but that was because she was _better_ than Inigo. Or so Severa told herself. At least Camilla didn’t have a dumb boyfriend she talked about all the time. And she asked Severa how her day went before going off on her own too.

If Inigo wanted to talk, he could make the first move this time, Severa reasoned. About something _not_ Xander related, she told herself. She kept her messages in the group chat—which had basically turned into an “Inigo gushes about his perfect, wonderful, amazing boyfriend” chat anyway—to a minimum.

Disappointingly so far, it seemed like Inigo hadn’t noticed. But he would. Eventually. And if he didn’t, that was his own problem for letting his “honeymoon phase” or whatever Owain called it blind him to what an amazing friend she was.

Severa was still thinking about Ingo while messaging Camilla that night. It was late and Camilla worked enough weird hours that Severa thought about going to bed already, but since Camilla showed no signs of stopping yet, she didn’t either. It was the weekend anyway.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Inigo. She looked down and saw yet another selfie of Inigo taken with yet another fresh bouquet, no doubt given by Xander for Inigo’s great performance. Inigo looked sweaty and incredibly happy, beaming at the camera.

Severa stuck her tongue out in a fake gag before sending some flower emojis to Inigo in response and tossing her phone near her charger on the bed. The battery was nearly dead anyway.

Her computer, on the other hand, was almost always plugged in. And when Severa didn’t want to deal with real life anymore, she always had Camilla to turn to.

Camilla was really reliable like that. Severa liked that about her.

 **TheEmpress:** _While I recommend shopping in Paris if you ever get the chance, it is not the end-all, be-all of clothing, from what I can remember._

 **TheEmpress:** _Though the food is quite divine._

Camilla was so incredibly well traveled and well-versed in seemingly everything about the world. Severa sighed. She wanted to be that cultured one day too.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I hope I get the chance to go one day._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I look at stores overseas for their fashion all the time. I don’t buy anything because shipping is so expensive, but I’m really tempted. I’d love to visit. I deserve to drink fine wine and sit on the beach on an island somewhere off the coast of Greece one day, you know?_

She was joking, mostly, and she was sure her humor carried over through the text. Not that she would have minded that daydream becoming a reality one day.

 **TheEmpress:** _Perhaps we could go together one day then._

 **TheEmpress:** _If you’re ever in the mood._

Severa laughed. Theoretically, she was always in the mood to abandon all her responsibilities and go on an all-expense paid vacation abroad. But that wasn’t what responsible people did.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _As long as you’re paying, sign me up._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _I don’t make nearly enough to go on my own without a lot of saving, but I’ll be right next to you on that plane if you ever want some company._

 **TheEmpress:** _Plane? Darling, why rush when we could take a cruise there and back?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Now you’re talking my style._

She smiled at the screen. They were only joking, but Severa didn’t mind the fantasy. She enjoyed toying with the idea with Camilla, even as a joke.

She pushed herself away from the desk and finally plugged in her phone charger into the socket next to her bed. Her phone was all but dead, but she still noticed the late hour that flashed on the screen when she plugged it in. When she rolled back to her desk, another message from Camilla was waiting for her.

 **TheEmpress:** _Where would you like to go first? London? Athens? Rome?_

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _London is last for sure. I don’t want to walk around in the fog and rain all the time._

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _Also, don’t you need to get to bed soon? Not that this isn’t fun. But I know you usually have things to do in the mornings._

 **TheEmpress:** _Yes, but I have things to do right now._

Right now? But it was so late, Severa thought. Even the normal blogs and Instagram accounts Severa normally followed weren’t updating at this time of night. There was no way Camilla’s business was still operating at this odd hour.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _??_ _Things like what?_

 **TheEmpress:** _Like talking to you, of course._

There was a tone of  “obviously” in the text. Severa felt her lips part in surprise.

She propped her face up with her elbow against the desk and her cheek in her palm, sighing happily, a soft smile playing on her lips. Severa allowed herself the brief reprieve. Then she got back to typing.

 **SelenaOfTheMoon:** _In that case, Rome is nice, but it’s probably easier to start in Greece and work our way west from there. I want at least a week on the beach._

 **TheEmpress:** _A woman after my own heart._

 

_~_

 

Severa hummed as she made sure the shop was clean before opening. Most people, when learning about her job, asked her if she was right in the mind for picking one in retail. True, Severa had dealt with more than enough rude, obnoxious customers, as well as self-entitled assholes who expected Severa to bend over because They Weren’t Happy. However, Severa had dealt with more polite and respectful people in her time working in the makeup shop. Most people came in looking for specifics, or just wanted to browse and get ideas for gifts (either for themselves or to someone else). It never ceased to make Severa happy when she helped someone pick out _that_ shade of lipstick they were looking for, or _that_ eyeshadow palette, or helped some poor teenager unsure about what all the terminology meant. The satisfaction Severa felt when they thanked her for her assistance, be it showing them where a product was or helping them see how it looked on them, was unparallelled. Severa was an expert and her advice helped others both in person and online.

“Severa, we just got a new shipment of lotions.” One of her coworkers walked up. His name was Mark, and Severa was insanely jealous of his eyeliner game. It was flawless. “They need your signature.”

“Right.” Severa took the clipboard from Mark and quickly signed away. “We can put those lotions in the back and sort them out. It’s the seasonal ones, yes?”

“Correct.” Mark took the clipboard. “When Julie and Emil arrive, we can send Amber and Terry to the back.”

Severa knew there was a reason Mark was named supervisor. She appreciated his management and his commitment to making sure the store ran smoothly. “Excellent. I’ll put this in the office and be back.”

Taking the signed papers and clipboard to the office, Severa then quickly checked her phone. It was company policy to have phones in the back while they were on the floor. A text message sat from Camilla, and Severa’s heart fluttered with joy. After their late night discussion (Severa may or may not have stared at the words _“a woman after my own heart”_ for an embarrassing amount of time), she fell asleep peacefully. This text message was only a few minutes old.

 **Camilla:** _Boring meetings all day, but at least my shoes are on point._

She then had a picture of the red pumps Severa had helped her pick out a week ago. Severa smiled and felt pleased that Camilla had taken her suggestion seriously and then went through with it. Quickly she texted Camilla back and nearly stumbled when she got a reply.

 **Severa:** _Damn right your shoes are on point. Knock out all those stuffy people in suits with your amazing fashion sense._

 **Camilla:** _I’ll be sure to use my shoes to their fullest potential and “knock” some people out._

Severa laughed and checked the time. As much as she wanted to talk with Camilla some more, the shop was opening soon and Camilla was no doubt getting ready to go to meetings.

 **Severa:** _Good luck. I’m off to work. I’ll talk to you later._

Setting her phone down, Severa headed out to the front. Mark had already opened the doors and had light music playing. It wasn’t blaring, and Severa was thankful. She couldn’t count on her fingers how many times she had left a store because the music had grated on her ears. Thankfully management of the store agreed with her, and Severa had been given minor control over the music. It was small, but a victory.

Speaking of small, a few people were already milling around the shop. Severa began to walk around the floor, ready to answer questions or help out. Mark was acting as cashier until a few more people came in. Business ran smoothly, and soon the store was bustling with fluctuations in crowds. When they weren’t busy, Severa went to the back and helped sort out their inventory, paying special mind to the new lotion shipment. She also shamelessly checked her phone, but there were no messages from Camilla, though there was one from Owain. He had sent her a picture of his study notes complete with a crying emoji. Severa laughed, texted back, and teased him a little before heading back to the front.

A few more people were in the store, but one caught Severa’s eye. Her hair was blonde, in pigtails, with a tasteful lavender streak both of them. Her skirt was absolutely cute, with a black and pink rose design, and her shirt was loose and white, allowing for her to not overheat. She had to be about fourteen or fifteen, and the expression on her face told Severa all she needed to know.

“Excuse me.” Severa walked up. “Could I be of assistance?”

The girl immediately turned to her and nodded brightly, her eyes displaying relief. “Oh, thank you. I’m so new to all of this. I sometimes riffle through my older sister’s collection, but I don’t think her style suits me at all.”

Severa smiled. How cute. “Well, let’s start with the basics. Anything in particular you’re looking for?”

“Well…” The girl rocked a little. “One of my friends was talking about peach and rose tones for eyeshadows?”

A natural look. Severa approved. It was good for a young girl. The more dramatic tones and colours could wait. Right now her focus should be on enhancing, not exaggerating. “We have some excellent and relatively affordable collections. If you’d follow me?”

Severa showed the girl some brown, pink, and neutral tones and palettes, letting the girl hum and as questions about them. Her insight was mature, and Severa chalked it up to probably talking with her older sister. When she had seen the collections, Severa left, letting the girl pick on her own without feeling pressured. A moment later the girl headed to the till and Severa felt obligated to ring her through, since she had helped her out.

“Oh, you picked the Quartz brand.” Severa noted when she rang the girl through. She had not only picked a reasonable palette and one Severa was sure would look great on her, but she had also picked a sheer pink gloss.

“I really like the pink tones in it.” She responded, “Thank you so much for your help.”

“It wasn’t a problem.” Severa finished ringing her through and told the total.

The girl paid in cash, opening a cute wallet, and after Severa finished the sale she couldn’t help but smile and feel complete as she helped yet one more customer. Sure, she still had about another two hours to go, but Severa knew the rest of her shift would be a good one.

 

~

 

When she finished, Severa had the afternoon off. She decided to do a quick bit of grocery shopping before heading home and doing some homework. Getting lost in her assignments and readings, Severa nearly missed the flashing light of her phone. A message. Severa picked her phone up and saw it was Camilla.

 **Camilla:** _Finally done the meetings. I hope you had a more pleasant day than I did._

 **Severa:** _Sorry to hear about those meetings. Yes, I actually had a great day today._

In the back of her mind, Severa couldn’t help but think of the girl she had helped. It was a cute story, and Camilla would probably appreciate something sweet to take her mind off the meetings she had just sat through.

 **Severa:** _I helped this young girl today. She was looking for eyeshadow. I was very impressed by her insight and choice. Sometimes teenagers want to go for the excess and go too bold too quickly._

 **Camilla:** _Oh? That sounds delightful._

 **Severa:** _It really was! Most of my shift after ended up being half in the back sorting things out and half on the floor._

 **Camilla:** _I’m always impressed by those who work in the retail industry. I think they deserve a lot more credit._

 **Severa:** _I know, right?! Most of the time I got decent customers, but sometimes…_

 **Camilla:** _I can imagine. I barely can deal with stubborn people at meetings. I’d probably lose it in retail. Day one. I guarantee._

 **Severa:** _I’m sure you’d last longer than that._

 **Camilla:** _Your confidence in me is flattering Severa._

Severa laughed and curled up on her seat, holding her phone tightly. This was what she loved, just idle chatting and conversation. Exchanging numbers with Camilla was turning out to be a great choice. Another message appeared, and Severa once again found herself lost in talking to Camilla.

 

~

 

“Oh my god,” Severa said, exasperated. “This wouldn’t happen if you didn’t live in the middle of nowhere.”

Her mother chuckled good-naturedly, but all Severa could think about was the fact her parents were _still_ dealing with a stupid bear so close to their property.

 _“It’s not so bad,”_ her mother said through the phone. _“It’s only doing what a bear does. Your father and I are disposing of our garbage very carefully, so I doubt it’s attracted to anything we’re doing. I’m sure it’ll move on eventually.”_

Severa flopped back on her bed. There was still a pile of half-washed dishes in the sink, but she was tired of cleaning.

“Yeah, after it eats one of the horses!”

Her mother laughed at Severa’s concern. Severa fumed.

 _“There’s a fence,”_ her mother gently reminded her. _“And I think Aurora would have something to say about a bear encroaching on her territory like that. Besides, your father and I have been keeping an eye out. They don’t seem very interested in one another.”_

“You haven’t even seen it,” Severa said, though she agreed that her mother’s favorite horse Aurora would probably kick a bear to death before she let one anywhere near herself, the other horses, or Severa’s parents. “Just claw marks and stuff. What if it’s trying to creep over the fence at night?”

 _“Then there would be damage on the fence line,”_ her mother said gently. _“Trust me, it’s fine.”_

“Yeah, except for a bear that’s wandering around because you guys chose to live in the forest instead of civilization,” Severa said. She ignored her mother’s reminder that _“It’s not the forest”_ and continued.

“It’s a good thing I don’t live out with you anymore,” she scoffed. “That’s a really ridiculous problem to have in this day and age. I’m glad I live in an actual apartment with people instead of dealing with dumb wild animal problems now.”

She remembered the raccoons that would dig through anything they could get their greedy paws on and her failed attempts to learn to ride the horses as smoothly as her mother did. Those days were all but behind Severa now. The city was noisy, but at least the internet was faster.

There was a beat of silence on the phone line before Severa heard her mother’s worried voice ask, _“Growing up outside the city wasn’t really that awful, was it?”_

Severa pressed her lips together and stared up at the ceiling. She knew that her mother knew the answer. They’d had this conversation before. Her mother just wanted her to say it.

Still, the guilt gnawing at her conscious kept Severa from lying.

“No,” she begrudgingly admitted. “It was fine. I just don’t like that you and Daddy are getting into trouble.”

Her mother laughed. _“Oh, dear, that’s never stopped us before.”_

Severa groaned, rolling over onto her stomach, the phone still pressed against her ear.

 _“But I promise your father and I are doing fine,_ ” her mother continued. _“Just like you are, I hope.”_

Severa kicked her feet idly and groaned into the phone again, feigning annoyance. “I told you I was.”

_“I know, but I like to make sure. And you haven’t blown your budget on clothes this month, have you? You need groceries too.”_

“Mom!”

 _“Just checking.”_ Her mother was laughing again. _“You know I only ask out of love.”_

Severa huffed. “I know.”

Her annoyance was mostly a front. Secretly, Severa liked being doted on and asked about herself again and again. It felt good that somebody cared that much to ask, especially since that person was her mother.

The humor in her mother’s voice made Severa suspect she knew it too, but her mother had never asked beyond knowing looks and Severa would never give her the satisfaction of admitting it outright.

_“Anyway, your father is out chopping some wood for the winter and I’ll probably join him in a moment.”_

“It’s like a billion degrees outside,” Severa said flatly. “And summer.”

 _“It’s always good to be prepared,”_ her mother said.

Severa was pretty sure her mother was just humoring her father at this point since they weren’t so far out in the country that they didn’t have central heating, but Severa’s father was always over prepared for everything. It made her feel better about the bear, at least.

Her phone buzzed, and Severa pulled the phone away from her cheek to glance at a new text from Camilla. Even after weeks of texting one another, seeing Camilla’s name pop up in her messages never got old.

“Alright,” Severa said, knowing her smile was audible in her voice. “I’ll talk to you later then.”

 _“Oh, don’t you sound suddenly happy,”_ Severa’s mother said, voice light. _“Glad to be rid of me already?”_

She was joking, obviously, but Severa reassured her anyway. “No, I just got a text.”

_“From somebody special?”_

Severa knew she had only said that to get Severa riled up, and it worked.

“ _No_ ,” Severa stressed. “From a friend.”

_“Really? You sound like you’re denying it quite a lot for just a friend.”_

Severa rolled her eyes despite her mother being unable to see. “You sound like Owain. And she’s not _just_ a friend. She’s a good friend. A really, really good friend.”

Severa had said too much, she knew, when she heard her mother’s knowing tone.

 _“Well, your friends do know you quite well,”_ her mother said. _“But you know yourself more. I’ll go, and you can have fun with your really, really good… friend.”_

“Don’t pause deliberately like that!” Severa chided, but her mother sounded like she was laughing to herself too much to hear. Scowling, Severa ended the call.

There were dishes in the sink, she had to leave the house in about thirty minutes to make it to work on time, and Severa still didn’t know what she was going to do for dinner later.

Well, there was no way she could do the dishes now and leave Camilla hanging like that, Severa decided.

She looked at her messages again. There were no words, but Camilla had sent her a picture of what appeared to be... peanut brittle? Severa wasn’t sure. She told Camilla as much.

Camilla sent another text.

 **Camilla:** _Apparently it was supposed to be peanut butter fudge._

Severa winced. Another failed attempt to cook by Little Sis, apparently. She might have normally been a little more biting at such a poor cooking attempt, but this was Camilla’s little sister they were talking about. Severa tried to watch her words carefully. Besides, at least Little Sis was trying. She reminded Severa of her younger self and her own awful attempts at cooking back then.

 **Severa:** _Too much milk?_

 **Camilla:** _Too much everything._

Severa laughed.

Between texts and idly scrolling on the internet for a while, Severa ended up leaving the apartment ten minutes later than she should have. Somehow, though, she still made it to work on time.

 

~

 

The height of summer was upon them. The heat tempted Severa to never leave the house again, especially now that her shortened summer classes were over. The last few weeks of the summer stretched out before her like an endless desert.

And yet she still had work, so off she went. She worked even more hours now that she didn’t have class to worry about all the time. Between that and the weather, it was hard to work up the energy to feel excited about anything.

Some people, however, didn’t seem to get the memo.

 **Owain:** _Hey!! Can u use ur makeup skillz to make me look super creepy for Halloween?_

Severa barely thought about her response.

 **Severa:** _Don’t type like that._

 **Owain:** _Sorry._

 **Owain:** _But can you???_

 **Severa:** _That’s months away._

 **Owain:** _But Can You?????_

 **Severa:** _Of course I can!_

In another new web tab she searched “how to halloween makeup” and then swiped the page away to look at later. If she practiced now, she bet she could get really good by the time Halloween rolled around.

Owain sent a string of party popper emojis in ecstatic response.

There was only so long she could spend in the back doing inventory and rearranging boxes, so Severa pocketed her phone and made her way back to the front of the store. Just as she opened the door, she felt another buzz of her phone in her pocket and glanced at the new text. It was from Camilla, and Severa pouted for a moment that she didn’t have time to respond before putting on her best customer service face and getting back to work.

Fortunately it was a slow weekday afternoon, and it wasn’t long before Severa could sneak another look at her phone.

 **Camilla:** _How’s your day going so far?_

Severa briefly checked the store. There was one other employee manning the cash register, and she caught the only customer idly wandering out of the store while scrolling through the phone.

She went back to Camilla.

 **Severa:** _It’s alright. Pretty boring. I’m getting asked about Halloween makeup for some reason even though it’s the dead of summer. How’s your day?_

Camilla’s reply was instantaneous.

 **Camilla:** _Equally uneventful. I’m caught up on work, and nobody’s around to entertain me. You’re getting asked about Halloween makeup?_

 **Severa:** _Yeah, one of my friends is asking about it. I told him I could do it, but I’ll probably need to do some research first._

 **Camilla:** _Do you know what you’ll do for Halloween?_

Severa looked up and searched the store again. It was still empty. Even the cashier was one his phone now.

 **Severa:** _You too? Halloween is months from now._

 **Camilla:** _It never hurts to be prepared._

 **Severa:** _You sound like my parents now._

 **Camilla:** _They have the right idea. It’s good to think ahead, and Halloween is always a good opportunity to spice things up._

 **Severa:** _?? Spice things up?_

Great. Now she was typing like Owain.

 **Camilla:** _Halloween is an opportunity to try something new. To wear something vicious or something daring that you’re allowed to wear under the pretense of it being a costume._

Severa raised her eyebrows.

She glanced up. There was one customer wandering the aisles now, but she had her headphones in.

 **Severa:** _Are you talking about wearing something gory or something revealing?_

This time it took a moment for Camilla to respond. Severa tapped her foot against the tile.

 **Camilla:** _It’s whatever fulfills your heart’s desire._

There was no winking emoji or anything to suggest any kind of suggestive tone, but goosebumps broke out out across Severa’s skin anyway. She wondered what kind of outfit Camilla wore on Halloween, if she was one of those people who went for something more sexy than scary.

Knowing Camilla’s tastes, it could have gone either way.

 **Severa:** _My heart’s desire? It’s Halloween, not Valentines Day. Most people just go through a haunted house or something._

 **Camilla:** _Is that what you do on Halloween?_

 **Severa:** _Sometimes. If there’s no Halloween party or any other plans. What about you?_

 **Camilla:** _It’s been a few years since any of us have been young enough for trick-or-treating, but it was great fun taking the children around back when they were. The past few years we’ve searched for something else to occupy our time. Usually treats at home or some other activity._

 **Severa:** _So you keep it a family affair?_

It made sense. Camilla was close to her siblings and she was probably tired of going out when she already worked all the time.

She wondered what Camilla’s Halloween celebrations were like, ignoring the fact it felt silly to be wondering such a thing four months in advance. Did Camilla make her own costumes? Did she help out her siblings with theirs? Camilla’s area code matched Severa’s own. It occurred to Severa, not for the first time, that she and Camilla theoretically lived close to one another. Close enough to drive, maybe.

Did she shop at the same Halloween stores as Severa? Had Severa ever unknowingly stood behind her in line?

Severa’s phone buzzed.

 **Camilla:** _Family and close friends._

Severa wondered if she fell under the “close friends” category with Camilla. Camilla certainly fell under that category for Severa. She wondered if Camilla would ever invite her to a family and close friends party, if Severa lived close enough.

And that’s when it hit her. The fear had morphed into something much closer to desire.

Oh, Severa thought. She really wanted to meet Camilla in person.

 

~

 

The thought plagued Severa all through the next couple of days. It didn’t linger so much as it was intrusive, popping in at the worst times. Severa had caught herself daydreaming on the bus, thinking about it as she made her morning coffee, and considering it as she showered and got ready for the evening. She thought about it while she took a break from writing a new blogpost, and she thought about it as she was at work.

What kind of person was Camilla in real life? Did her personality change or was she relatively the same? What did Camilla even look like or sound like? Severa caught herself pondering those questions as she waited in line at a coffee shop. Camilla could have passed her on the streets or in the mall, and Severa wouldn’t have known. The thought sent more tingles through her body, and Severa tried to not stare into large crowds.

Really, the solution to her musing was to test the waters and simply ask Camilla if they’d like to meet in person. The jump from texting to meeting in real life felt like a big one, with no phone or video chats to bridge the gap, but Severa never did things half-assed. She wasn’t going to use excuses anymore. She had when she considered giving her number to Camilla and as Owain’s advice had demonstrated, in the end, she had been putting roadblocks up. The worst that could happen was Camilla simply saying no or telling her that “surprise, I actually am pretty far away.”

With all that in mind, Severa dived head first into initiating the conversation. Grabbing her phone, Severa texted with a single minded task, shoving all her worries and fears aside. Leaning against the counter in her kitchen, Severa stared at her sent message.

 **Severa:** _I was wondering, would it be possible to meet you in person some time?_

The message was blunt, but Severa didn’t want to pad her text out with fancy words. Her heart was beating slowly in her chest, and Severa clutched her phone and waited. A moment later a message appeared.

 **Camilla:** _Oh? How forward of you, darling. I’m flattered. I’d love to meet you. Where would you like to go?_

Severa had to reread the message a couple of times before it registered in her mind. Scrambling to reply, Severa ignored the pounding in her heart.

 **Severa:** _A mall? We could just go shopping?_

 **Camilla:** _Sounds lovely. Which mall?_

Biting her lip, Severa thought of a few malls she liked to frequent. Suggesting them to Camilla, Severa waited, hoping that she wasn’t picking places too far from where ever Camilla lived. However, her suggestions were all approved and it made the knot in Severa’s chest loosen. They really were living relatively close to each other.

 **Camilla:** _Bent Hill Mall sounds fantastic. I know some stores there are having sales this weekend. Shall we make it a weekend date?_

Date. The word stood starkly out in front of Severa. Her face burned and quickly Severa had to remind herself that Camilla meant it as a figure of speech. People used the word casually all the time. There was no need for her to ask and make things awkward. For all she knew, Camilla wasn’t interested in girls and then Severa would come off as creepy or desperate.

 **Severa:** _Uh, sure. I’m free Saturday afternoon._

 **Camilla:** _Saturday afternoon is fine for me as well._

 **Severa:** _Excellent._

 **Camilla:** _Then it’s a date! I’ll see you there, Severa._

Again, the word cropped up and again Severa had to forcibly remind herself that Camilla only meant it as friends and not in the actual date way. Besides, Severa couldn’t fall in love with someone based on text conversations alone. There were a bunch of other factors such as how well they got along in real life, how Camilla looked, etc.

With that reassurance, Severa put the event on her phone and smiled when she finished. Soon she’d meet Camilla. In person.

 

~

 

Severa wasn’t going to admit to anyone, but she had spent a lot of time picking her clothes for Saturday. She had gone through her entire wardrobe and then some, rearranging outfits on her bed, changing tops, changing pants, changing both, before she picked what she wanted. Her outfit was a loose flowing vibrant blue-green top with short sleeves and a belt that went around the middle. The pants were warm grey capris with functional pockets. Deciding to do her hair differently too, Severa plaited it down the side and then did her makeup, keeping it light and natural. When she was done, Severa looked good and felt good. Grabbing her purse, Severa left her apartment.

The ride to the mall was silent and pleasant, with Severa checking the time every so often. She wasn’t as jumpy as Inigo was, but she wasn’t going to be late either. As the bus got closer to the mall, Severa opened her small mirror and checked herself one last time. Everything was in place.

Inside the mall was bustling and people milling around. Severa had texted Camilla earlier telling her what she looked like, as they had both decided to save the picture and let them meet completely in person. Standing by the coffee shop by the malls entrance, Severa tried to busy herself by checking her phone, but her gaze kept wandering around. People passed her and didn’t stop, and Severa kept trying to not look weird. Forcing her gaze onto her phone, Severa was about to check through her Twitter one more time when someone walked up to her, coughing politely to grab her attention. Severa looked up and felt her mind escape her. Hastily she shoved her phone into her purse.

The woman in front of her was nothing short of gorgeous. Her hair was tousled just right and was a perfect shade of lavender. A sleek black dress adorned her with just enough showing to still be modest and tasteful. Her makeup was dramatic but not too loud. Severa found herself staring at the perfect winged eyeliner and the shimmer of eyeshadow. Forcing herself to look directly at the woman, Severa knew that this had to be Camilla.

“Excuse me.” The woman’s voice was a lower pitch, sultry and smooth and Severa felt her cheeks burn. “But by chance are you Severa?”

“I am.” Severa was happy her tone was even. “And you’re Camilla?”

Camilla smiled and instantly stepped forward, pulling Severa into a hug. The hug was warm, tight, and slightly uncomfortable given how tall Camilla was. Did she have heels on too? Severa swallowed and smelt a hint of vanilla and citrus waft off Camilla as perfect fingers gently touched her hair. Severa melted.

“What a lovely shade of red.” Camilla cooed, “I absolutely love it. Is it natural?”

“Of course,” Severa immediately replied. She wasn’t a stranger to that question, but the tone Camilla said it in made her puff out with pride. “I’ve had this colour since I was born. No dye or anything.”

Camilla pulled away, but her hand was still toying with the braid, “And such a lovely braid. I think fishtails are so elegant, yet simple, don’t you?”

Severa nodded, glowing at the compliment. “They’re super easy to do, once you get the hang of them.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Camilla then took Severa’s hand into hers. Camilla’s nails were perfectly manicured, and Severa felt ashamed of her terrible nails. “You’re so adorable.”

Severa wanted to point out that she wasn’t “adorable” like a small child. She was an adult woman. She had appeal! But somehow, with Camilla’s tone, the adorable didn’t feel like an insult or a degrading, but rather a genuine compliment.

“So, what store shall we go to first?” Camilla’s thumb was rubbing softly against Severa’s hand.

A jolt ran through Severa’s heart and she forced herself to speak. “Makeup.”

“Of course.” Camilla’s voice was soft and warm and felt like caramel dripping down a candied apple.

It sent a shiver down Severa’s spine, and she felt her cheeks warm. Camilla was already perfect in Severa’s mind from their chats, but meeting her in person was a bit overwhelming. The touching and the hand holding right off the bat felt natural, like Camilla was doing it without thinking. Severa wasn’t a touchy person, but somehow she wasn’t minding it.

Camilla held her hand all the way to the makeup store. When they entered, Severa felt a little more balanced, back in her familiar territory. Idling through the rows, Severa and Camilla let go of hands, the two of them wandering through the aisles.

“Oh, take a look.” Severa spotted a display. “This lipstick.” Severa picked up a lipstick tester. “It’s a great brand.”

Camilla stood beside her, warm and practically in Severa’s personal space. If she wanted to, Camilla could have hugged Severa. “I’ve seen advertisements for this.”

“I know, right?” Severa was pleased.

“Will you write a blog post about it?” Camilla asked.

It warmed Severa’s heart to hear that Camilla was bringing her blog up in public. Of course, she knew Camilla read it, but somehow hearing her ask about it made that fact tangible.

“Of course.” Severa puffed her chest out. “I got some ideas already.”

“I’m looking forward,” Camilla purred. “So, in your expert opinion, which one should I get?”

Severa felt her mouth widen into a smile. Turning around she tried to study Camilla with the same detachment she used for customers, but it was hard. Now that she was staring, Severa felt tingly analyzing of Camilla’s skin and lips. She coughed.

“Dark colours suit you.” Severa focused on picking some lipstick testers, “Let’s try some of these ones out…”

She carefully touched Camilla’s arm and felt how soft and warm the skin was. Taking the tester Severa carefully did colour swabs on Camilla’s skin, waiting for Camilla’s opinion.

“The second one.” Camilla touched it when Severa was done. “I like it a lot.”

“You do?” Severa beamed, “It suits you well.”

“Then I shall buy it,” Camilla easily concluded, taking one of the unopened tubes. “What about you, Severa dear?”

“I…” Severa attempted to halt the conversation by putting the testers away. “I haven’t really thought of it.”

“Oh? Then may I?”

Camilla didn’t wait for a response. She grabbed Severa’s arm lightly and the touch sent all sorts of warm tingles down Severa’s spine. Standing still, Severa let Camilla swap some colours on her skin, humming. She had a good eye. Severa smiled and touched one of the colours when Camilla was done.

“This one.”

“Then that one it is.” Camilla easily took the tube of colour chosen. “Let’s clean our arms up, shall we?”

“Right.” Severa tried to not feel disappointed as Camilla let go of her arm.

Severa went to clean up her arm, wiping it down. Camilla had trailed off and Severa fully expected her to be in another aisle, looking at more makeup. Instead, she found Camilla at the cashier, buying both tubes of lipstick and a bottle of neutral nail polish.

“Here.” Camilla passed the small bag to Severa. “For you.”

It wasn’t much, just lipstick, but Severa’s heart warmed at the gesture. She immediately coughed, not wanting to sound ungrateful.

“You didn’t have to…”

“I wanted to.” Camilla simply purred. “Go on. It’s a gift.” She held the bag out.

Severa took it and their fingers brushed. Suddenly, the wonderings from last night felt answered, and Severa suddenly felt like they were on a real date. Her heart twisted warmly.

 

~

 

It wasn’t until they left one of the many clothing stores that Severa suddenly realized her phone was missing. She had decided to buy a top, one that was on sale and very cute, when her fingers brushed a bit too much empty space. Panicking, Severa set her purse down on the side of the counter as Camilla bought her items, digging through. Keys… wallet… sunglasses… lip balm… tissues… pens… gum… but no phone. Severa’s stomach dropped. She was just a student working at a makeup shop. Her contract wasn’t close to being up. This was bad. How did she not notice?

“Severa?” Camilla’s voice floated into her ears.

Great. Severa gave her best smile, but it felt off, and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. Her first time meeting someone she genuinely wanted to impress and liked and a disaster had to happen.

“Is something wrong?” Camilla’s voice seeped concern.

No use hiding it. “My phone is missing,” Severa admitted.

Camilla’s eyes immediately widened. “Did you drop it in the change room here?” She turned to the girl behind the counter. “Miss? If you don’t mind?”

“Oh, of course.” The girl went to grab the key to the change rooms, “You were in change room three, yes?”

“I was,” Severa replied, her voice feeling distant.

The girl left and then returned, shaking her head, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but there was no phone in there. I checked the adjacent change room, just in case.”

“You didn’t leave it on a table here?” Camilla was running through the possibilities. “Or perhaps in another store?”

Severa felt a wave of gratitude that Camilla was being helpful. She tried to think back, but she couldn’t remember if she had simply bought some other things and hadn’t noticed the missing phone. There was no way to remember when or where she had lost it. Going back to all the stores seemed to be their only option.

“I don’t remember… We’ll have to check all the stores…” Severa felt very foolish.

“Or we could check the lost and found first?” Camilla suggested, “Then if nothing is there we can search the shops.”

That was logical, and Severa once again felt foolish for not thinking it up sooner. She was raised better than this. She wasn’t absent minded. And to top it all off she was with Camilla, who was so cool and calm and mature…

“Severa.” Camilla’s voice was suddenly beside her, warm and soft. Her hands were touching Severa’s shoulders. “These things happen. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Why, just the past week one of my brothers misplaced his tablet. Turned out he had left it under some papers, but we spent a good fifteen minutes searching for it.”

The story lightened Severa’s heart. She laughed softly, “The book worm?”

“That’s right.” Camilla laughed. It sounded musical. “So, let’s go to the Lost and Found, shall we?”

The Lost and Found wasn’t too far from the shop. As they approached the man and his co worker behind the counter politely waited for them.

“Uh, excuse me.” Severa started.

“Yes? How can we help you?” the man asked.

“I misplaced my phone, and I was wondering…”

The man’s eyes lit up. “Oh, could you describe it for me?”

Severa quickly did and a moment later the man pulled a phone out from a drawer. It was hers. Severa gaped.

“It was returned about fifteen minutes ago. A woman said she found it in a clothing store?”

Oh. Oh god. Severa felt a strong wave of relief. She had been so careless. Of course she had just left it while looking around and shopping. It didn’t matter which clothing store she had forgotten it in. Reaching out, Severa took her phone back and checked through it. Nothing was misplaced or out of order.

“If you could just sign here?” The man asked, pushing a piece of paper over to her. “Also, I recommend you go to your provider and just double check everything is there and nothing is missing or strange.”

“I even suggest you phone your credit card company and bank if you do your banking on your phone,” his co worker added.

Tedious, but necessary. Severa nodded and pushed the paper and pen back. “Thank you for your help.”

“Not a problem, miss.”

Severa turned to Camilla, who was standing there silent. Words of thanks were on Severa’s lips, but she didn’t know how to say them without being awkward. Thankfully Camilla seemed to know.

“Now that we found your phone, I think we should go to the coffee shop.”

Coffee sounded great. Severa nodded.

 

~

 

Part of Severa wondered if she and Camilla shouldn’t have spent more time on introductions when they met, if they shouldn’t have said more things like “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” or “How was your day?” or “What are the odds that we both lived so close together?” before they went wandering around the mall. They had never met in real life before, after all, no matter how many hours they had spent chatting online. Things were bound to feel different in real life. But after all of Severa’s gaping and Camilla’s hugging, it had felt natural to just… go. To do their thing. Severa hadn’t really thought about what they _should_ have done until later, and by then she was having too much fun to put their window shopping on hold. It didn’t really matter what they were _supposed_ to do, Severa had figured, so long as they were doing what they felt like doing. And walking around the mall talking about cute clothes and sales was what they both enjoyed, so there hadn’t seemed anything wrong with it at the time. It was what they had always done. It felt natural.

Now Severa wondered if she could have avoided some embarrassment if she and Camilla had spent some time sitting down and talking to one another rather than getting carried away in their excitement. After all, if they had and Severa had gotten a better hold on herself in the meanwhile, she might not have lost her phone.

Finding it in the the end was lucky, of course, but it was still _embarrassing_.

After all, Camilla was so put-together. More adult, almost. And Severa didn’t just mean that because Camilla clearly had a few years on her either.

Not that Severa had expected her first and only online friend to be a woman closer to her thirties than Severa’s own age like Severa had initially expected. But somehow that seemed to fit, in hindsight.

Severa was an adult. But there was something about Camilla’s very aura, about her composed demeanor and immaculate everything, about the way Severa could have easily pictured her in a business suit, that made Severa feel a bit childish in comparison. Losing her phone so quickly into their first meeting only amplified that feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Camilla asked, delicately stirring her drink with a tiny straw. It was hard to tell of her nails were real or perfectly applied. Either way, her smooth nail polish looked stunning. “Not thirsty?”

They were standing outside a tiny coffee stand in the mall, the three tiny chairs placed outside the stand already occupied.

“No, it’s not that.” Severa pursed her lips. Camilla simply eyed her, and for a moment Severa felt even more embarrassed.

She spotted an empty bench further down the mall and started walking towards it. Camilla followed. Severa cleared her throat. “I mean. Thanks for keeping cool when I lost my phone earlier. That was kind of lame of me.”

“Like I said, we all misplace our things from time to time,” Camilla said. “Sometimes my sister ‘borrows’ my things without telling me first. These things happen.”

They sat down. There was a bit of space between them, and Severa wasn’t sure if she was supposed to widen or close it.

“Yeah, but still,” Severa said. “I didn’t want your strongest memory of today to be me freaking out and ruining everything. So thanks.”

She flashed Camilla a smile and was delighted when she got one in return. Then Severa’s heart all but stopped when Camilla tucked a strand of hair behind Severa’s ear, her fingers grazing Severa’s cheek.

“I’m simply glad we were able to avert disaster,” Camilla said, her voice almost _sultry_. Was that on purpose or simply a quality of Camilla, Severa wondered. She felt like she was gaping again. “And trust me when I say there was no ‘freaking out’ involved today, but I’m glad I was of assistance. Besides, I’ll remember other things from today with much more clarity.”

Severa almost asked “Like what?” but then Camilla’s fingers trailed over Severa’s chin as Camilla pulled her hand away, and Severa forgot her words. Anything Camilla could have said in answer would have ended her right there, she was sure. Maybe Camilla was naturally touchy, but Severa wanted to melt anyway.

All the excuses she’d made before about not liking Camilla romantically because they had never met in real life had flown out the window. There was no use saying she simply admired Camilla as a peer anymore. Severa did admire Camilla. A lot. And she liked a lot more about Camilla than just her confidence and the way her words read through the computer screen.

 _Oh my god,_ Severa thought with dawning horror. _I’m turning into Inigo._

She quickly gulped down half her latte to keep from embarrassing herself. Likely sensing Severa’s dismay, Camilla chuckled and sipped at her own drink with refined dignity.

“I’m glad you invited me here today,” Camilla said when Severa had regained the tiniest bit of composure. “I must admit, I was a little surprised after your previous hesitation to even give me your number. But I’m glad now.”

“I get what you mean,” Severa agreed, half of her drink now gone to soothe her dry throat. “I was just thinking, why not, you know? The chances of us living so close together were, like, a million to none, but with our area codes being the same, I thought I should give it a chance.” She was feeling more confident with every word. Nodding to herself, she said, “And I’m happy it worked out.”

“True,” Camilla said, “it is extraordinary that out of the billions of people in the world, you and I happened to find each other online first and in person second. The chances of us living in the same city were remarkable, and yet here we are. That sort of thing is… incredibly unlikely.”

There was a strange lilt to Camilla’s voice that made Severa look up from the ice cubes in her drink. Camilla, who must have been looking at Severa while Severa was looking down, caught her eye and smiled.

“But I’m happy as well,” Camilla continued. “Today has been lovely, and meeting you in person has been even lovelier. I’m sorry we did not get the chance sooner.”

 _Lovely_ , Camilla had said. Outside her mother’s comments on special occasions, that wasn’t a word applied to Severa often.

“It’s not like I gave you the chance or anything,” Severa said. “But, yeah, I’m glad we’re together now.”

Camilla stood up from the bench, her shoulder brushing Severa’s as she got to her feet. Severa hadn’t noticed Camilla finishing her own drink, but she must have, as she tossed it in a nearby trashcan and turned to Severa, holding out her now free hand.

“I think we have time to visit one more store before it’s time to leave,” Camilla said.

Severa hastily swallowed the last of her latte and grabbed Camilla’s hand to stand. If Camilla thought her eagerness at all strange, she tactfully said nothing about it.

Camilla was no less touchy as they walked around this last store than she had been throughout the day. Once again, Severa didn’t mind.

 

~

 

When the sun was low in the sky over the mall parking lot and it was time to finally part ways, Camilla hugged her again. It caught Severa off guard, despite the fact she should have been expecting it by now.

“Oh, it’s been so good to meet you,” Camilla said into the top of Severa’s head as she stroked her other hand down Severa’s back. Her fingers ran smoothly over Severa’s long hair. “We _must_ meet again as soon as possible and do something less involved. Something were we can simply sit and talk for awhile.”

It felt like they had done nothing _but_ talk all day. Severa wasn’t complaining though. She dropped her bags to the pavement and wrapped her arms around Camilla in return.

“Definitely,” she said. Severa was taller than most women, but Camilla still seemed to have her beat by a mile. “I’m free tomorrow afternoon, if you want. And the day after as well.”

“Perfect,” Camilla said, pulling away but leaving her hands on Severa’s shoulders. “Then I’ll text you when I get home and check my schedule. It’ll be another date.”

There was that word again. Date. Severa still didn’t know what to make of it—barely knew what to make of Camilla, honestly—but she was learning to go with the flow.

They parted ways. Severa watched Camilla walk tall and confidently through the parking lot, carrying her packed bags in hand with ease until it was weird to watch any longer, and then Severa found her way to the bus stop. Her skin still tingled through her clothes from where Camilla had touched her by the time she got home.

Back at the apartment, she tried on the lipstick that Camilla had bought her in the mirror. Severa smacked her lips together and thought it looked just as good as Camilla said it would. She snapped a picture and sent it to Camilla before going to the bathroom to wash her face.

When she got back, there was a message waiting for her, just as expected.

 **Camilla:** _Gorgeous. That was a good purchase._

It was Camilla’s purchase, technically, but she’d bought it for Severa. Severa smiled.

Briefly, Severa imagined how the color would look on Camilla’s bare shoulder if she had leaned over and pressed her mouth to Camilla’s skin the next time they hugged.

Her phone buzzed again, breaking Severa from her reverie, with a link to a restaurant and Camilla’s suggestion of lunch tomorrow. There was no question as to whether Severa would go or not. She already said she was free, and she wanted to see Camilla again as soon as possible.

 **Severa:** _I’ll be there!_

She went to bed giddy and eager for the next day.

 

~

 

Even with her lunch date looming over her, Severa forced herself to check up on her credit card. As she wandered around her room picking out clothes and makeup, Severa had her headphones in and called her credit card company. It was a hassle and being on the phone like a Responsible Adult sucked, but it was necessary. While Severa was sure nothing had happened (after all, her phone had a lock screen with a password), it was better to be safe and cautious. When the representative on the other line confirmed all was secure with her credit card, Severa still felt a wave of relief. Thanking the person, she hung up and focused on getting ready for her lunch date.

Severa felt a little more confidence this time in calling their lunch plans a “date.” The uncertainty from their shopping trip was long gone, and in its place was a warm fluttery feeling that melted and dripped off her mind. Camilla’s looks aside (though she was gorgeous and beautiful and mature), Severa had felt a connection which lead to a lot of the awkward pleasantries when they first met to not occur at all. Severa had enjoyed Camilla’s company, and in turn she knew Camilla enjoyed hers too. After all, she had scored a second date consecutively after their first one. Severa was sure that was considered a success in any dating guide.

Humming slightly to herself, Severa stared at the selection of clothes she had meticulously dumped onto her bed, spread out, and overlapped, tops with bottoms. The weather forecast had told her it would be sunny and warm all day, and the temperature wasn’t blistering. Sure, Severa had to consider eating inside where the AC made things cooler, but that wasn’t something too concerning.

Narrowing down her options, Severa finally settled on her clothes (jeans, a pale orange-pink shirt that faded into an ombre), and went to do her makeup. By the time she was finished, she had a good thirty minutes left before their lunch date. Double checking her purse, making doubly sure her phone was present, Severa grabbed her keys, hastily moved her makeup bag to the side of the bathroom counter, and left her apartment.

The restaurant Camilla had suggested was a place Severa wasn’t familiar with. She had been tempted to look it up online, but then decided that a surprise was better and going into their date unsure about the location added to the surprise and excitement of the date. The only thing Severa made sure she had was the address, which Camilla had supplied. Taking the appropriate bus, Severa sat in the back and put her headphones in, listening to some music. Given the time of day and the date, not many people were on the bus. Severa was grateful. If she had to deal with annoying people crowding her personal space, she’d snap. Of course, the option to just take her car was there, but when Severa had seen the address of the restaurant she immediately scrapped the idea. Parking would be a pain to find and then the money she’d have to pay would end her.

As her stop got closer, Severa decided to do last minute checks. Pulling her mirror out, she made sure her makeup was fine and her hair was not messy. Satisfied with her look, Severa couldn’t help but snap a picture. She hadn’t taken any photos of Camilla (yet, but that was something she didn’t want to do without Camilla’s permission), but Severa could still take pictures of herself on her way to a date.

She smiled and felt a burst in her heart, the ache to tell someone about what was going on in her life. Not Inigo though. A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that it was a bit hypocritical of her to still be miffed about Inigo and his gushing over Xander when she was considering gushing over her own love life, but Inigo had committed the offense more than her. Number of offenses had to count, right? So instead she texted Owain the picture with the caption “I have a date” under it. A moment later Owain responded.

 **Owain:** _A date? Why is this the first time I’ve heard of this? It’s the makeup girl, right? I’m right, right?_

 **Severa:** _Why are you jumping to conclusions about who I’m going on a date with?_

 **Severa:** _But… yes, it’s the makeup girl. Her name is Camilla._

 **Owain:** _Sounds lovely. Like the deep red blossoms that flower in summer._

 **Severa:** _Don’t go weirdly poetic on me._

 **Owain:** _Sorry… but I’m at the family cabin and my manuscripts are left untouched until too late in the evening._

 **Severa:** _Tragic. Send my regards to everyone. Enjoy the lake. Watch out for bears._

 **Owain:** _Ughhh, will do._

Laughing to herself, Severa looked up to see that they were at her stop. Getting off the bus, Severa followed the map she had screenshot and made her way to the restaurant. What kind of place had Camilla suggested? A family place? A bistro? A coffee cafe? Severa’s mind was spinning with the possibilities, but all of that came to a halt when she arrived at the location.

The exterior was dark wood and the door handle an elaborate gold design. The menu was out front, but Severa didn’t need to read it in order to know that it was expensive. She could see inside and the place had the staff wearing pressed uniforms and crisp ties. Swallowing, Severa forced herself to walk to the front. This was flattering, that Camilla had suggested such a luxurious place. Suddenly Severa was grateful her jeans were on the expensive end and her shirt designer. Camilla clearly wanted to make an impression on her (not that she hadn’t already), but Severa could also make an impression on Camilla. This wouldn’t scare her, nor would she be awkward. Camilla clearly had standards and somehow, someway, Severa had met those requirements. The thought alone helped Severa feel confident. Grasping the handle tightly she walked inside.

A waiter was at the front, ready to greet her. Severa opened her mouth before pausing and realizing she wasn’t sure if Camilla had made reservations or not. She was about to dig into her purse to text Camilla and ask when she spotted a head of lilac hair and a soft smile. Severa’s heart doubled in beat, and she softly walked over to where Camilla was sitting.

“Hello, Severa.” Camilla purred, “You’re looking lovely.”

“Hello, Camilla.” Severa sat down and felt a wave of relief and fluttering when Camilla immediately took her hand and stroked it with her fingers. “I’m not late, am I?”

“Oh no.” Camilla’s voice was smooth like a honey glaze. “I was simply early.”

 

~

 

Severa  thought she handled lunch well, all things considered.

Camilla clearly thought Severa was the type of person who could fit in at a high-class restaurant just as easily as Camilla did, and Severa thought she lived up to her expectations. It was possible Camilla agreed, considering the surreptitious way she eyed Severa up and down before she sat. Severa tried her best not to preen _too_ obviously.

“Now, correct me if I’m wrong,” Camilla said, humor in her voice as she followed a fat bead of condensation on her waterglass with her finger, “but I suspect you didn’t look up where we’d be eating ahead of time.”

Severa crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. It was true that her clothes didn’t quite match Camilla’s fine blouse or even the waitstaff’s crisps uniforms, but she still looked _good_. Severa knew it, and she knew Camilla knew it too. She’d just called Severa lovely, after all. Camilla had taste.

“And what makes you say that?” Severa said, less pointedly than she would have speaking to anyone else.

Camilla smiled. She glanced between Severa’s jeans and her own black slacks, knowing Severa was watching her. “A hunch.”

Severa shrugged, picking up a glass of water that had been poured for her ahead of time and took a sip. “Maybe. _I_ had a hunch that you wanted to surprise me.”

She caught Camilla’s eye, feeling daring. Camilla hummed in consideration.

“Maybe I wanted to be surprised too,” Severa relented after a beat.

Camilla hummed again, smile blooming even more. “You’re right that I wanted to surprise you a bit. I’m glad you didn’t do too much research ahead of time. You fit in just fine, by the way. I simply wanted to see what you’d say if I asked.”

Severa raised her chin a bit more, feeling as though she’d just passed some kind of test. Her grip on the water glass in her hand tightened to keep herself from physically cheering.

A waitress stopped by their table and handed them a pair of menus. She explained some of the specials for the day, and while some of the descriptions went over Severa’s head, she recognized others as just fancy recipes for fish and steak. Severa nodded along and refused to let any inkling of being out of her element show on her face. Camilla certainly looked at home in the upper-class environment. Severa knew she could too.

“Do you already know what you want?” the waitress asked.

“I do,” Camilla said. She looked to Severa. “But you may not be, since this is your first time here.”

“I’m ready,” Severa said, not wanting to be left behind. Camilla looked interested.

Severa had quickly scanned the menu while the waitress explained their specialties, and she had already zoned in on a choice. The restaurant was a bit out of out of Severa’s comfortable price range, but a few of the items were more reasonably priced than others. Plus she could afford to splurge if she ate in a few more nights than usual in the next week.

“I’ll have the seafood special,” Severa ordered, flipping the menu around and pointing at the item on the menu. The waitress wrote down her order with hardly a glance, turning to Camilla.

“And you, ma’am?”

“The usual,” Camilla said, giving Severa another appraising look as she handed over her menu. Severa did the same.

As the waitress left, Severa found herself repeating, “The usual?” A memory came back to her as Camilla opened her mouth to answer. “Steak?” Severa guessed.

Camilla smiled at her, looking pleased that Severa had remembered her favorite food.

“Correct,” she said. “I’ve spoken to the chefs personally here. This is the one restaurant I can always trust to make my steak exactly how I like it.”

Severa felt herself raising her eyebrows on reflex at the mention of Camilla speaking to the chefs personally. She then carefully schooled her expression into something less surprised. The atmosphere didn’t feel as carefree as it had in the mall. She liked Camilla a lot, but it felt like there was an even bigger pressure on her shoulders to make a good impression today.

“It makes sense that you’d come here often then,” Severa said.

“It’s my favorite restaurant for that very reason,” Camilla said. “I wanted to share it with you.”

Her confession made something warm grow in Severa’s chest.

Camilla loosely steepled her fingers under her chin. There were a few other patrons sitting at other tables for an early lunch, but there was something about Camilla’s smooth movements and the heavy weight of her gaze that made Severa feel like they were alone.

Camilla said, “I know it’s been less than a day since we last saw each other, but I feel like we barely got to speak then. Tell me about your week.”

She emphasized herself by sliding her hand across the table and placing her hand on top of Severa’s own, catching Severa’s eyes with a curious gaze. At the feeling of Camilla warmly holding her hand, Severa felt her skin break out in goosebumps. It felt as though her hair was standing on end like a character from one of Owain’s animated movies. This time more than ever, Severa struggled to compose herself.

Again, there had been no shortage of words exchanged during their time in the mall. But it was obvious Camilla wanted to talk, and Severa had exactly zero problem with that, aside from the fact she needed a moment to unknot her tongue.

In that same moment, Camilla’s foot found Severa’s ankle under the table. Camilla didn’t kick, didn’t push, but Severa became very aware of the solid weight of Camilla’s leg against her own.

Severa swallowed.

“Well,” she said, dragging her thoughts away from the feeling of Camilla’s touch, plucking her scattered thoughts out of the air and into something more coherent. “I’ve told you about my parents and their bear problem, haven’t I?”

“You have, but not everything,” Camilla said, giving Severa her full attention. “And I like hearing you speak.”

That, Severa could do.

 

~

 

It had been a goodbye kiss, Severa told herself, kicking off her shoes in the bedroom doorway. Camilla was just that type of person.

She paused, absently touching her cheek and imagining the feeling of Camilla’s lips on her skin. There had been a lipstick stain. Severa had regretfully wiped it off on the bus.

Their lunch had gone swimmingly, and they had lingered in the restaurant longer than they probably should have. Even when the food had been brought out—Severa’s dish immaculate and Camilla visibly pleased at her all but bloody steak—and Camilla dropped Severa’s hand across the table in order to grab her utensils, she didn’t stop pressing her ankle against Severa’s. They talked for what seemed to be the entire afternoon but had actually been closer to two hours. Severa had been reluctant to peel herself away from Camilla’s company, even when she knew it was time to leave.

And then, as they hugged goodbye, Camilla had leaned down and pressed her lips just in front of Severa’s ear in a chaste parting kiss.

“ _Oh_ ,” Severa had said, suddenly breathless. Bright afternoon light had glistened off the restaurant’s windows, and Severa’s eyes felt wide.

Camilla had pulled back, hands ghosting Severa’s forearms before disappearing back into her own personal space.

“I’m so glad we had this talk today,” Camilla had said. “I’ll hear from you tonight?”

“I—yeah,” Severa said. “That was—” Could she say _Was that a for real kiss?_ Or would that have sounded too childish, like Severa didn’t know what she was doing? She breathed, “Yeah, of course.”

Camilla’s smile was a blinding as usual. Severa wobbled her way to the bus stop and didn’t realize Camilla had left a lipstick stain on her cheek until she’d checked herself in her phone’s reflection.

Severa still had no idea if they were going on romantic dates or just friend dates. The line between the two seemed to grow blurrier and blurrier everytime Camilla was involved. But Severa was willing to see where this road took her, at their own pace. She liked Camilla’s praise, her touchiness, the way she actually listened to what Severa had to say. She liked hearing Camilla talk just as much as she liked talking. Whether that made them friends or something else, Severa was alright with it in the end.

She took a step further into the bedroom and paused.

Something felt… different.

Severa carefully peered around the room. Her bed was just as messy as it had been when she had rolled out of it that morning. Her dirty clothes were in the same pile on the floor, her same green top perched at the peak. Everything was just as she had left it.

Nothing had visibly changed in the few hours Severa had been away. All the same, something felt different. Something Severa couldn’t put her finger on.

She turned around and softly padded her way into the kitchen, expectant. Her dishes were still in the sink. The fridge was closed. When she opened up the washroom doors, she found the same untouched streak of dust surrounding the lint trap as had always been there. She remembered feeling the normal resistance in the lock when she’d used her key to let herself into the apartment as well. Nobody had come in except her.

Severa stood in her living room for a moment, wondering. Something about her apartment had changed, but she couldn’t figure out what.

It occured to Severa that maybe her apartment hadn’t changed at all. Maybe it was something within herself that had shifted.

Her lips parted in surprise. But, after a moment, the thought didn’t seem so strange. Camilla was new and vibrant and different. Meeting her in real life— _twice_ now—had brought Severa a happiness that lasted even when she stared up at the ceiling at night. And when Camilla had kissed her cheek that afternoon, the whole world had shifted under her feet for a moment. Maybe Severa was seeing the world a bit differently now too.

She wasn’t sure the shift in the air of her apartment was really happiness or not. But Severa felt full and content, so she wasn’t sure it was a bad thing either. Just different.

In the other room, she heard her phone buzz. Severa happily wandered over to answer it.

 

~

 

The drive back to her parent’s place was a pleasant one, though a touch boring. Severa liked how the road was mainly straight and that she didn’t need to remember many turns. She liked how the two way highway was silent with a few people passing her. Severa always did the drive in the early morning, before the sun rose to the highest point and threatened to cook her in her car. Turning her music up, Severa hummed as she drove the entire way, only stopping for gas or to stretch. The drive out was only about an hour and a half, but sitting still for too long wasn’t Severa’s strong point.

When she reached her parent’s place, Severa parked where she always parked, between two trees on the gravel driveway. Her father kept refusing to pave the driveway and it drove Severa insane, but that was his choice and his money, so she couldn’t complain too loudly. Shutting her car off, Severa grabbed her overnight bag and locked her car. Ringing the bell, Severa idly waited, staring out at their barn where the horses were. Maybe if the weather wasn’t too hot, she’d go riding…

“Severa, sweetie.” Her mother opened the door.

Severa had inherited her mother’s long red hair, though Severa’s wasn’t quite as vibrant as her mother’s. Thankfully Severa hadn’t inherited her mother’s shorter stature, thanks to her father. When her mother smiled, Severa stepped in and gave a quick hug, which turned into a longer hug.

“Welcome home, Severa.” Cordelia squeezed her tightly. “Your father is out back gardening, but he’ll be inside soon.”

“The vegetables?” Severa asked as she took her shoes off.

“Yes,” Cordelia confirmed, “the cherry tomatoes are doing very well. We have some in the fridge if you want to try some now. How was the drive?”

Severa would have to take her mother up on the offer for the cherry tomatoes. “It was quiet, hardly anyone on the road.”

“Well, many people have left for the city or to cabins.” Cordelia mused, “Speaking of cabins, how’s Owain?”

It wasn’t a surprise that Cordelia knew Owain had gone to the cabin. She seemed to know everything. That, and Lissa probably phoned to chat. “He’s doing well.” Severa tried to think back to their last conversation. “He was fretting over completing his manuscripts.”

Cordelia smiled. “He’s always been an imaginative one.”

Imaginative was putting it lightly. Severa snorted and looked out to the large oak tree in the backyard. Long ago it was their treehouse and Owain had one day declared it their home base in case of the “zombie apocalypse” and then proceeded to make them act out a scenario. Nothing had really changed.

“Anyways,” Cordelia changed the subject, “your room is ready. Why don’t you go put your things inside, and then come down and we can have coffee.”

Severa’s room was on the second floor. The interior hadn’t changed. Some of Severa’s things were still there, like some pictures and books. There were a few articles of clothing too, some Severa silently vowed to bring back. Her bedding was the same, bed neatly made, with a stuffed bear that Inigo and Owain had gifted to her back in high school. Severa picked the bear up and gave it a small hug. Some may call it childish to keep stuffed animals, but Severa treasured the gift. The bear in question was white with a red bow haphazardly tied over a pink bow. Inigo and Owain had told her it was a “friend Valentine gift.” Turned out it was a last minute one because the bows didn’t come with the bear. Inigo and Owain couldn’t decide on pink or red, so they went with both. Laughing to herself, Severa snapped a picture and sent it to Camilla, giving a brief history of the bear before she went to the kitchen.

Her father was inside, wearing dirty pants and a shirt that looked like it had been dipped into dirt. He was standing on the mat by the door, wiping his brow with a towel that Cordelia had given him and was drinking some water. From her father, Severa had inherited his straight nose, the shape of her lips, and whenever Severa scowled people often told her she looked similar to her father.

“Severa, welcome home,” Frederick greeted her. “Your mother was telling me about your drive up.”

“Yeah, the entire hour and a half of boredom,” Severa muttered. “How’s the garden?”

“Growing steadily.” Frederick pointed to a bowl on the counter. “I just picked some cucumbers and tomatoes. At this rate our house will be overfilled. You’ll have to take some home.”

Great, that meant no grocery shopping and saving. Severa smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

“I’m going to have a shower, but I’ll join you two after.”

Frederick somehow walked across the kitchen to their main floor bathroom without getting the floor messy or leaving a trail of dirt. Severa felt a tinge of jealousy. If she tried that, she’d leave a huge mess and would have to clean up. Shoving the thought aside, Severa walked over to her mother, who was finishing brewing the coffee, and made herself a cup.

They sat out in the sunroom on comfortable wicker chairs with plush cushions. Severa idly touched one of the cactus on the table. The newspaper was folded neatly on the corner and in the middle was a fruit bowl. Severa grabbed a few grapes and ate them.

“So, how has my little girl been?” Cordelia asked.

“I’m an adult, Mom…” Severa sighed at the “little girl” part, but secretly she felt a little warm. “It’s been busy. Work has picked up, and we have a lot of new shipments coming this week. I’m sure I’ll be stuck in the back sorting and doing inventory.”

Cordelia hummed and sipped her coffee, “And has management helped with that scheduling issue?”

“Definitely. We have some new hires, which means I’ll have to train them.” Severa sipped her coffee too. “Always a bit stressful, but I hope they’ll stay past the summer. Come fall and classes and I don’t want to be overbooked.”

“Speaking of makeup,” Cordelia lead in nicely, “How’s it going with your… online friend?”

Severa choked. Right. She had mentioned Camilla in passing, and of course her mother remembered. Twirling her mug a little, Severa tried to sound neutral. “Very well. She’s doing well. We’ve… chatted, and her name is Camilla.”

“Oh, a name?” Cordelia’s eyes sparkled.

“Mom…” Severa groaned out. “It’s nothing too big, just texting and then meeting her at the mall, and then for lunch…”

The moment Severa said that she wished she could rewind time. The sparkling in her mother’s eyes and the lean in all spoke of excitement. Not that her parents ever pressed too hard into Severa’s love life, but they were rightfully curious and wanted the best for her. With Severa volunteering information, her mother must have sensed she could pry a little.

“So, Camilla lives in the area.” Cordelia neutrally spoke, “And already you two have gone out a couple of times.”

Her mother didn’t say date, but she was implying it and Severa couldn’t call her out lest she be trapped. Instead she sipped her coffee and tried to remain calm. “Yes, we have. It’s been pleasant.” Except when she lost her phone, but there was no way Severa would tell her parents that.

“Pleasant, huh?” Cordelia softly asked. “Well regardless as long as you’re happy and safe, I’m pleased. Is this Camilla a good woman?”

Severa wanted to say yes, that Camilla had talked with her, both about makeup and about life, but as she opened her mouth, Severa realized that she didn’t know too much about Camilla’s personal life. Sure, she knew Camilla had siblings and worked with her family, but there weren’t enough details. Severa frowned lightly. Wasn’t that a bad thing? She had known Camilla for so many months and so little seemed to be known.

No, it was fine. Severa shook those thoughts away. Sure, she and Camilla knew each other for a while, but they had only recently met in person. Keeping secrets was just a part of online relationships. Caution was key after all.

“Yes, she is.” Severa confidently spoke, “She’s a great person and a great friend.”

Cordelia smiled. “That’s wonderful. Did you hear that, dear?”

Severa turned around to see her father walking in with a cup of coffee, his hair a bit damp. Severa flushed a little. “I’m not repeating anything to you.”

“I heard enough,” Frederick calmly replied, sitting down, “I’m glad to hear things are going well, Severa.”

Going well… yes, life was. Severa shoved her embarrassment aside as well and focused on talking with her parents. They were just curious and there was nothing wrong with it. It showed they supported her, and in the end, Severa loved her parents.

 

~

 

Later, as they were making lunch, Severa checked her phone and saw Camilla had messaged her back. Quickly, and hopefully semi-privately, she messaged Camilla back.

 **Camilla:** _Oh, my, what a cute teddy bear._

 **Severa:** _It was a gift from two of my friends back in high school._

 **Camilla:** _Very sweet. Dare I ask why there are two ribbons on it?_

Severa laughed to herself.

 **Severa:** _It’s a long story. I can tell you later. I’m at my parent’s house._

 **Camilla:** _Well then, I hope you have a fantastic visit with them. I’ll see you again when you’re back in the city._

See her again… Severa’s heart leapt, and she smiled widely. If that wasn’t a hint to them going out on another date, then Severa didn’t know what it was.

 **Severa:** _I’d like that._

 **Camilla:** _Me too, Severa, dear. Now, have fun visiting with your parents._

 **Severa:** _I will, thanks._

 

~

 

 _Hey,_ Severa wrote. _Do you think you’re a good person?_

She stared at the words. In her periphery, her childhood bedroom seemed strange and familiar at the same time. After a moment, her eyes began to burn from looking at her bright phone screen in the dark. Looking at the words written plainly in the text bar, they seemed so much more accusatory than she meant them to be.

Severa sighed.

They had only met each other twice. Severa would have considered most people she had met twice to be barely acquaintances. But Camilla was different. She and Camilla had spoken for months online, laughing and joking and sharing themselves with one another.

But they hadn’t spoken about anything personally at the start. That had taken time. And there had been details Severa had certainly shied away from sharing for the sake of privacy. Camilla had undoubtedly done the same. So it made sense that there were still things that they didn’t know about each other yet, she reasoned.

There was something charming about referring to Camilla’s siblings with names like Boss and Bookworm. There was a kind of admiration that Severa held for Camilla about her work, knowing Camilla spent a lot of time in meetings, supervising her subordinates and her siblings without Severa worrying about the things like the how or why of it all.

Maybe that was why Camilla always seemed so interesting and cool. She was naturally witty and sharp, and Severa got to admire the version of Camilla she built up in her head without having to deal with how the reality may have differed in the little details.

Did those details really make a huge difference, she wondered. Was she just making excuses for her own fears?

It wasn’t like Severa had told Camilla the exact place she worked either. Information was a two-way street currently under construction.

Talking to Camilla at the mall or over lunch seemed so easy. But they were holding back. Both of them.

There were things Severa wanted to know about Camilla. But there were things she was afraid of sharing in turn. It had been a long time since Severa had made a new friend. She worried if things would seem different once she and Camilla got to know each other a little more, if Camilla would somehow lose some of her mysterious charm once she became too familiar. If Severa would seem too plain as well, like just another opinionated young person not entirely sure where she wanted to go in life. If they could still really make the transition from online friends to real-life friends after all.

Severa never had gotten around to asking if Camilla would ever invite her to a “family and close friends” party. She liked Camilla a lot and Camilla seemed to feel the same, but Camilla had some kind of—Severa didn’t know what to call it. An “air” she guessed. There was something about Camilla that made Severa think Camilla could have said “No” to Severa’s asking with a sweet smile and a laugh that bordered on cruel. A simple no would have been a hard enough blow, but Severa didn’t think she could take a rejection like that.

She wanted to get to know Camilla more. She wanted to go one more “dates” and see where it led them. She wanted to hold Camilla’s hand and look at cute dresses and lounge on a bed together. But Severa was also her own worst enemy.

Her mother’s words rang in her head again. “ _Is this Camilla a good woman?”_

Severa had brushed it off that afternoon. But now, in the empty darkness, she wondered.

Could Severa be considered a good person? She had done awful, bratty things years ago. She had tried to change. She thought she had. But she was still pettily ignoring Inigo for being too happy with his boyfriend. Was that too selfish? Or was it just stupid? Where was the line in the sand for “good” and “bad” and “not important enough to matter”?

Ever since she had suggested meeting Camilla in real life, it felt like Severa kept flip-flopping back and forth between excitement and dread about their relationship, eager when they spoke and letting worry sink its claws into her when too long passed between conversations. It was exhausting.

“This is dumb,” Severa said aloud. Only the quiet chirping of crickets through the window answered her, but she felt better at hearing her own voice nonetheless. Her bedroom didn’t seem so empty anymore.

She deleted _Do you think you’re a good person_ and replaced it with something less loaded. She forced herself to hit send.

 **Severa:** _Hey, can I ask you something?_

It was nearing ten o’clock. It wasn’t that late, but she wondered if Camilla would respond anyway.

There was no immediate response. Severa had nearly drifted off to sleep when she felt her phone vibrate in hand.  She opened her messages, squinting as her eyes adjusted once more to the brightness.

 **Camilla:** _Like what_

Severa frowned. That wasn’t quite the way Camilla normally answered her. She wondered if it was a bad time.

 **Severa:** _Sorry, were you about to sleep?_

 **Camilla:** _No_

Severa wondered. Then she got a second message.

 **Camilla:** _You may ask your question_

That… definitely didn’t sound right, but Severa was the one who started it. If Camilla said it was fine, Severa didn’t want to call her out right off the bat. Her question was difficult enough to answer.

She thought about what to say carefully. Then she typed.

 **Severa:** _What do you think makes a good person?_

She waited in anticipation for Camilla’s answer.

 **Camilla:** _What do you think_

Like, what did Severa really think? Or was Camilla being sarcastic? Severa’s mouth twisted with discomfort as she tried to decipher the meaning behind Camilla’s words.

 **Severa:** _I’m asking you?_

 **Severa:** _If you don’t want to talk right now, that’s fine. I know I’m on a break, but you probably had a long day. Sorry._

Again, it seemed to take Camilla longer than usual to respond.

 **Camilla:** _It’s fine_

 **Camilla:** _I don’t really know what makes a good person_

 _Yeah,_ Severa texted back. _Me either._

She stared up at her ceiling. It made her feel a little better that Camilla wasn’t sure either, but she was also left without any answer.

Briefly, she wondered if that would be the end of it. Then she got another message.

 **Camilla:** _Does being a good person matter_

Severa frowned. She hadn’t expected that one.

She wrote _It matters._ Then she changed it slightly.

 **Severa:** _It matters to me._

 **Camilla:** _I see_

 **Severa:** _I don’t want to be a jerk to people. I know I can be sometimes. But I don’t want to be. And if you’re purposely cruel to others, you’re probably a bad person. There’s nothing positive to be gained from that, for yourself or the world. I don’t want to be like that._

 **Camilla:** _Is that what makes a person good or bad_

 **Camilla:** _Purposeful cruelty_

“I don’t _know_ ,” Severa whined. It felt like Camilla was missing the point.

 **Severa:** _I don’t know, maybe? There are probably a lot of things that make somebody a bad person._

 **Severa:** _I’m asking about what YOU think. And if you think you’re a good person or a bad person and why._

 **Severa:** _If that’s okay_?

She waited, anticipation forcing her to tap her fingers on her sheets and occasionally bite at the inside of her mouth.

It felt like an eternity before she got a response.

 **Camilla:** _I don’t know_

She huffed. It was another non-answer, so short, so vague, so...

So unlike Camilla.

Severa sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake.

She scrolled back to the top of the conversation, rereading everything “Camilla” had written so far. It didn’t read the way Camilla’s messages normally read. Camilla was confident, sure of herself, and she almost never gave three word answers. Even for Camilla after a long day, this was strange.

Severa narrowed her eyes at the screen. She took a chance.

 **Severa:** _Hey_

 **Severa:** _Just so we’re clear_

 **Severa:** _I am talking to Camilla, right?_

A minute passed as she waited for a response. Then three minutes. Then seven.

After nearly ten minutes of agitated waiting, Severa went to Camilla’s contact information and hit “Call.”

The phone rang once, and then whoever was on the other end hung up.

Severa stared.

She mentally debated what she should do, if she should call somebody else, but another incoming text message solved that problem for her.

 **Camilla:** _Sorry I took so long to respond just now. I was talking with someone else. Yes, I can confirm for a fact this is me. I apologize for worrying you, dear. I’ve just been a little distracted this evening._

There was a little winky face after the message, but it didn’t make Severa feel any better.

Undeterred, Severa typed back with a vigor.

 **Severa:** _Can you prove you really are Camilla? Send a picture of yourself right now holding up two fingers._

Almost instantly a picture popped up in the chat. It was a photograph of Camilla lounging against her headboard and holding up a peace sign. Her hair was loose and there was a small smudge of mascara under her left eye. It was the most disheveled Severa had ever seen her.

Severa nervously bite at a hangnail on her thumb.

 **Severa:** _Now send another picture of you holding up four fingers so I know that wasn’t a pre-planned photo._

Again, she received a photo. It was still Camilla, still leaning against her headboard with the light of a lamp spilling into the frame somewhere off to the side. She was holding up four fingers.

 **Camilla:** _If you wanted a picture of me this badly, all you had to do was ask._

Severa could practically hear Camilla’s teasing voice through the text. The next message was somewhat more serious.

 **Camilla:** _Nevertheless, I appreciate your thoroughness. I promise you’re really speaking to me though._

Now Severa slumped back against her mattress, embarrassed.

It really was Camilla on the other end. She had been paranoid over nothing and had forced Camilla to give into her weird demands when she had probably been resting. At least she was understanding, Severa thought. Her face felt hot.

 **Severa:** _Sorry, I guess I’m just too scatterbrained tonight. I’ll let you rest. Sorry for bugging you with weird questions._

 **Camilla:** _It’s quite alright. Goodnight._

Severa nodded to herself and set her phone aside. There was no doubt that was Camilla.

Although…

She picked up her phone again and reread the conversation for a third time. There had been an awfully long gap between when Severa had asked if she was speaking to the real Camilla and when the real Camilla had answered. Why had her call been rejected if Camilla was right there? Just because she was too tired and didn’t want to talk until Severa bugged her into talking? That could have been true, but something still seemed fishy to Severa.

Had Camilla agreed to end the conversation too easily? No, Severa couldn’t get invested in something so difficult to interpret like that. She’d never get anywhere.

She had been speaking to the real Camilla at the end. That much was true. But who was to say a fake Camilla hadn’t been using the real Camilla’s phone at the start? If the fake needed to pass the phone off to the real Camilla after Severa caught on, that would have explained the time gap.

It seemed so ridiculous that Severa nearly dismissed the thought outright. She didn’t want to be the type to make up crazy theories on the spot like Owain. She didn’t even know what the purpose of talking to a fake Camilla would be. The fake Camilla—if there was a fake at all—was a terrible impersonator in the first place. It made more sense that Camilla was just tired. The more Severa thought about it, the more unrealistic it seemed to be.

And yet...

Severa trusted her gut. And if her gut said there had been a real Camilla and an imposter, she trusted her instincts to know best.

At least, she wanted to trust that.

Severa rolled onto her side and pressed her cheek against her warm pillow. Her whole head felt screwy from the weird conversation with Camilla and the lingering worries about her mother’s questions bouncing around off each other. She wondered if this was the start of her own insecurity ruining things for her, that because Camilla seemed so perfect Severa’s brain was looking for a way to pick her apart and find some outrageous flaw that didn’t exist so Severa could feel better about herself first.

She groaned into her pillow and forcefully shook those thoughts away. She would get nowhere like this, and she’d had enough of an interrogation downstairs with her parents asking about every little bit of her life as though she didn’t speak with them on the phone twice a week. Severa didn’t need to be interrogating herself too. Mind games could be saved for the professionals.

The simplest answer was probably the right one, and Severa and Camilla both being tired and misinterpreting things seemed a lot more likely than a fake Camilla using the real Camilla’s phone to text Severa after Severa had engaged her first. It was better not to worry about something as strange as an imposter when Severa couldn’t prove anything beyond a weird feeling anyway.

With that, she squeezed her eyes shut and forcefully tried to block out the world.

Try as she might, it took a long time to fall asleep.

 

~

 

Severa tried to not think too hard about her strange conversation with Camilla and “not Camilla” while she was at her parent’s place. For one, they’d notice, and two, that would mean tedious questions. While Severa was always glad for the support, this problem felt a bit too in her head and would only highlight how paranoid she truly sounded. The moment Severa tried to sort the problem out aloud, all she ended up doing was making herself feel silly, her cheeks flushed. She sounded ridiculous. So Severa shoved it aside while she was with her parents. She focused on helping around the place and going horseback riding. She focused on making dinner for her parents and sorting through her room. She focused by writing a new blog post. If all went well, she could edit it and post it before she left her parent’s place.

However, when it came time for her leave, Severa was stuck in her car and that gave her plenty of time to think. Soon the floodgates opened and Camilla sprung heavily in her mind.

Ever since the strange conversation, Severa had held off texting Camilla too often. Sure, she still sent small messages or pictures (like of the horses or the garden), but she didn’t try to go deep, invoke a long conversation. She needed time to think, and maybe Camilla did too. Perhaps Severa shouldn’t have sprung such a strange, philosophical question so late at night. Logic dictated that Camilla was probably just tired and thus was answering strangely. Severa gripped her steering wheel. That had to be it. It had to be the only explanation.

Except, what if it wasn’t? Severa groaned and indulged herself in the strange concept. If it truly wasn’t Camilla, what was the point of that? To not make Severa wait on an answer? How strange was that? They didn’t need to reply immediately to each other, and Camilla knew that. Plus, if that was the case and it wasn’t Camilla, say a family member or another friend, then simply having them relay a message like “Sorry, I’m busy” was satisfactory enough.

The reasoning to why Camilla was answering strangely had to be logical. She was tired. End of story. It should have been enough, but Severa couldn’t help but feel her stomach churn a little and her mind twist.

Something had been off, but with no logical explanation other than “Camilla was tired,” Severa needed to drop the feeling. She forced a deep breath through her nose and turned her music up. All of this was just one bizarre incident, and Severa was overreacting. Later, she’d text Camilla to let her know she was safely home, and then soon this would be behind them.

“Yeah,” Severa breathed out to herself. “It will be behind us.”

She held onto that thought all the way home. Upon returning, Severa grabbed a few necessary groceries and texted Camilla, letting her know she was back. Then Severa pocketed her phone and drove back to her apartment. She was wiped, and all Severa wanted to do was relax and rest. Flopping onto her couch, Severa made a vow to unpack later and ordered pizza. Then she opened her laptop and began to edit her blog post until the bell rang. Paying and eating at her computer, Severa finalized her post and then uploaded it. A moment later she got a ding on her phone, signalling a comment. She checked and smiled.

 **TheEmpress:** _In depth work as always, Selena! I’m fascinated by the small differences an ingredient can make in a product. I’ve been eyeing this particular sunscreen brand and with your endorsement, I’m highly considering making a purchase. Thank you for your hard work as always._

There. Severa read the comment twice over. That was the Camilla she knew. There was no other Camilla, and Severa felt her worries ease. Wiping her fingers on a napkin, Severa got to work, crafting a response to Camilla.

 

~

 

The next day was a free day, and Severa took the time to clean and wash her clothes. Then when she finished, she flopped down on her bed and took the day relaxing. Camilla had sent a message telling her about meetings, and Owain was off doing something else. Severa’s fingers itched to text Inigo, as a silent apology for her rudeness, but everytime she looked at her phone, she couldn’t think of the words. It was best to just meet Inigo in person. She’d get a chance soon. No doubt Owain would want to plan some sort of summer get together. Then she could apologize in person. Words were sometimes better than text.

With that resolution in her heart, Severa finished up her cleaning.

The following day she had work, bright and early. Severa hopped out of bed, eager to go. She hated lazing around for too long. It left her feeling useless. Humming as she did her makeup and her hair, Severa left her apartment at a reasonable time and took the bus. The ride was smooth and quiet and when she got to the mall, she angled through the STAFF ONLY doors and went to the makeup shop.

One of her coworkers, Julie, was already there, setting up. Severa took her stuff to a back locker and put it away before she went to the office to check on any messages or notices she’d missed while away.

“Welcome back, Severa.” Julie was at the door to the office. “Had a fun break?”

“Yes, I visited my parents.” Severa answered, still looking at the office’s desk.

“Oh, if you’re wondering about that form you need to sign, it’s on the bulletin,” Julie helpfully said.

Except Severa had no idea what form she meant. Turning around, Severa raised an eyebrow. “Form?”

Julie’s eyes widened. “Ah… Sorry, I thought management told you…”

Severa felt her stomach sink. Was it something bad? Was it something she did? She tried to think of her actions at work over the past week, but was coming up blank. “What is it?” Severa dared to ask.

“Uh…” Julie gripped her hands tightly before she spoke. “I guess management will give you the full details. I was at cashier when it happened, but apparently someone came around asking for you.”

“For… me?” Severa blinked. That was unexpected.

“And I mean in a strange way. It just didn’t feel right, you know? It didn’t feel casual, so we simply told them you weren’t here and they moved on.” Julie then leaned closer. “But… according to Mark, and I don’t know, I wasn’t in the next day, he swore he saw them around the shop. They didn’t come inside, but they were apparently outside walking around.”

Severa felt her heart freeze over and her voice crack with the chill. That was… someone was looking for her? No, not even looking for her, but asking about her. It wasn’t a simple wanting to talk to her, which would be odd, but then again, Inigo and Owain had done that before and gotten into a heap of troubles, but this didn’t feel like them. They didn’t need to ask about her. Not many people did. So why?

“Do you know what they looked like?” Severa found herself asking.

“No, sorry.” Julie winced. “Just that they were female. I had to sign just to show I was on duty and to confirm nothing drastic happened.”

Nothing drastic. This felt drastic. This felt invasive. And somehow this felt familiar. Severa’s fingers twitched against her side. That day, when she returned to her apartment and things felt off. The recent conversation with Camilla that was strange. The day her phone went missing. All of those had the same factor influencing her day.

Camilla.

But why? Severa didn’t like jumping to conclusions, but this had to be it. She felt like her world was slowly crumbling at her feet. Her reality shifted, and Severa felt icy all over.

She hadn’t even started her shift.

Swallowing, Severa hoped she didn’t look or sound strange. “I see. Well, I better sign this form.” She gave her best smile, all things considered.

“Right.” Julie shuffled over to the board and pulled a blue form off it. “I’ll leave you to this.”

She scuttled off. Severa looked at the form and numbly read the statement. It didn’t give her much, just that a female had come in during the afternoon and asked about her. The form felt like an obligation from management to cover their asses should anything go south. Normally nothing went south, but as Severa signed she couldn’t help but feel that things had definitely gone south. What should she do? Severa mulled over it as she put the form in the office. She couldn’t ignore it. She had to do something. Was asking and confronting Camilla too blunt? As soon as she thought that, Severa laughed. Who was she kidding? She knew what factor had changed and there was no other way to cut it.

“I guess things really were too good to be true,” Severa softly said to herself.

Her shift was long, too long. Severa tried to ignore her phone for the entire shift. When she was done, Severa numbly went through the actions of going home. A small part in her brain tried to tell her to stop and think, but she was done thinking and second guessing herself. So, as soon as Severa was home, safe in her apartment, she pulled her phone out. Ignoring the thump of her heart and the dizziness of her tightening stomach, she pulled Camilla’s contact up and without another thought, she texted Camilla. She didn’t hold back. If she ended up sounding paranoid, then she could deal with that fallout later. Right now, she wanted the truth.

 **Severa:** _Be honest, why did you or someone you sent go to my work asking about me?_

 

~

 

Anxiety bit at the pit of Severa’s stomach. She tapped her foot on the ground and looked around as she waited for Camilla’s reply. Her apartment was empty. She thought about that day she had come home and wondered at the feeling of something different about her apartment. There weren’t any dishes in the sink this time around, though there was probably even more dust sitting around the lint trap in her dryer. The apartment didn’t really look any different now than it had then. But she wondered if the change she had acknowledge had really been inside herself all along. Or if her instincts had caught some other change her conscious mind just didn’t register at the time.

She felt so stupid in hindsight.

How likely was it that someone had been in her home while she was away? While she was guaranteed to be gone, because she had been with Camilla.

Once more, Severa looked to her phone. The phone that had gone missing that day at the mall, when Camilla had first hugged her. Had that hug been a distraction? Or had Severa been distracted at some other point during the day and lost her phone then? If her phone had really been stolen instead of lost, what had been the point?

Belatedly, Severa remembered that a young woman had returned her phone to the mall’s Lost and Found then too. Had it been the same young woman who had asked about her today?

These were all the same thoughts she’d had when she’d been given the full disclosure form before her shift. The the tedium of work hadn’t distracted her a bit. If anything, it had just given her more time to think. To worry. To obsess.

Was she supposed to call somebody? Her parents? Her friends? The police? And say… what, exactly? Severa didn’t have any proof that anything illegal had been done wrong, besides somebody had asked about her at work. That wasn’t illegal. She couldn’t even prove that had been done with malicious intent.

Her mind was racing. It had been less than a minute since she had sent the text, the one that would probably break her friendship with Camilla no matter whether she was right or just paranoid.

Forcefully, Severa breathed out through her nose. She took another, deeper, breath in. Then out again. She didn’t need to panic yet. A quick peek at the front door told her everything was locked.

It was true that she didn’t have any proof. But she had herself. And Severa trusted herself over anything else.

The clock clicked over to register that exactly one minute had passed since she had texted Camilla.

Her phone rang.

_Incoming Call: Camilla_

Severa’s thumb slid over the _Accept_ button without thinking.

“Camilla,” she said. She didn’t know if it was Camilla yet. Not after the conversation the other night. But she wanted to be the first to get a word in.

_“Severa.”_

That was Camilla’s voice for sure. There was no faking her cool composure. Severa slid into one of the seats on the couch, instinctively pulling her legs up closer to her chest. For some reason she felt better not having her back exposed to the world.

A moment of silence fell between them. She couldn’t even hear Camilla breathing on the other end.

“Well?” Severa finally snapped, unable to stand the wait any longer. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

 _“I didn’t tell her to go to your work,”_ Camilla said.

Severa forced herself to place her feet flat on the floor, keeping her back straight. If she looked confident, she’d feel it, she thought. Mostly she felt tense.

“Who?” Severa said.

 _“Beruka,”_ Camilla said, as though they were having a normal conversation and she wasn’t confirming everything Severa had been afraid of. _“I didn’t tell her to go to your work, but I trust her to be discreet. I think it was that sales girl who caught her off guard. Normally she doesn’t talk to many strangers, but she just wouldn’t let Beruka go without hearing that sales pitch. I think she asked about you as an opportunity and also a chance to escape.”_

Severa stared at the far wall, letting that information sink in for a moment. She had never heard the name Beruka before, but it didn’t matter.

“So that’s it,” she said. Her voice had become frosty, her spine steel. “You’re not even going to deny it.”

 _“What’s there to deny?”_ Camilla said. _“It wasn’t subtle. Beruka asked about you at work, yes. It was a formality, really. You already passed the background check in all but name.”_

For the first time in their friendship, Camilla’s nonchalance was starting to piss her off.

Severa saw red.

“What the hell are you talking about?” she snapped. “‘This time’? Background check? I didn’t agree to anything! You can’t just go stalking me at work, you nutjob!”

There were a lot of things she wanted to say, but she swallowed them down to give Camilla a chance to react.

A beat passed.

_“Do you feel better now?”_

“ _No_ !” Severa shouted. “What is _wrong_ with you? This isn’t a normal argument!”

 _“I didn’t say it was,”_ Camilla agreed. Her voice was neutral and collected, like she was overseeing a meeting rather than listening to Severa’s accusations. _“But I want to make sure we’re on the same page before we delve any deeper into this.”_

Severa wondered what Camilla looked like, if she was sitting outside some office in her business suit looking prim and professional and treating Severa like just another client. Then she decided she didn’t care. All the questions she had kept bottled up began to pour out.

“Did you break into my apartment too?” Severa demanded. She was angry now instead of scared, and that fury made her shake. “Did you steal my phone? Or you had this Beruka person do that too, right? Was she the one I was talking to the other night?”

 _“Beruka did all those things, yes,”_ Camilla said. _“Don’t worry, nothing was stolen or misplaced. We just had to make sure you had no ulterior motive for wanting to meet me.”_

“What?”

Camilla said, _“She checked your call history and your apartment. Everything checked out. You weren’t out to get me.”_

She clenched her fist. Her nails dug into her palm painfully.

“Normal people don’t _do_ that!” Severa said. “It’s been _weeks_! We didn’t have to do anything! You could have just said no!”

 _“But I’m not a normal person,”_  Camilla said simply. As though that explained anything at all. _“And I wanted to meet you. But, oh, Severa. I told you before. The chances of us living in the same area and meeting online purely by coincidence really were abysmal.”_ Now Camilla sounded wistful, like she was recalling a memory. If Severa hadn’t known any better, she would have said Camilla almost sounded remorseful too. _“I had to be sure it wasn’t a setup.”_

“A setup for _what_?” Severa snapped again. Camilla was somehow plying her with truths and dancing around the reason behind her strangeness all at once. She wondered if she should have been recording this conversation to show to her lawyers later. It was too late now.

 _“Ask me something else first,”_ Camilla said. A deflection or something else, Severa wondered. _“If you have any questions before we get to the big stuff, now is the time.”_

Severa rolled her eyes but wracked her brain anyway. “Okay, whatever. Why did somebody impersonate you on the phone the other night?”

 _“Hm?”_ There was a dismissal in Camilla’s voice. Severa could imagine her waving her hand through the air. _“Oh, that wasn’t even planned. I was just tired and removing some makeup. You were asking a very good question though. I gave Beruka the phone and learned she’s not very good with texting. Or impersonating me.”_

Severa huffed. “Tell me about it.”

For a moment she was almost tricked into feeling normal. Then the fury under her skin roared back to life.

 _“Is that all?”_ Camilla asked.

“No, shut up,” Severa said reflexively. “Now tell me why you’re ‘not a normal person’ before I turn you into the police.” Her thumb was twitching over the end call button to phone the police at any moment.

_“I can’t tell you that—”_

“I’m hanging up.”

_“—until I show you something else. In person.”_

Severa got up. She walked from one end of the living room to the other, too agitated to sit still any longer.

“I’m not signing anything saying I won’t press charges,” she said instantly.

 _“It’s not about that,”_ Camilla said. She sounded almost reasonable. For a crazy person, that was. _“Though I don’t think that will be a problem if you decide to go out on a limb and give me your trust one last time.”_

The thought of trusting Camilla to do so much as tie Severa’s shoe seemed like a farfetched dream at this point.

Part of Severa wanted to trust her. She wanted to trust Camilla so badly. She wanted to go back to the days before Severa had ever brought up the idea of meeting and they talked about nothing all the time.

After all, it hadn’t been Camilla who had suggested meeting in real life but Severa herself. Severa had been the one to take the first step. She had been the one to extend the invite. Camilla had been the one to suggest alternative methods to even exchanging phone numbers. She hadn’t wanted to exchange any personal information between either of them. Severa had been the catalyst for that.

Learning now that Camilla wasn’t who Severa had believed her to be… It was a hard pill to swallow.

At the very least, Severa trusted that all of Camilla’s confessions so far had been truthful. Other than that, she couldn’t believe much else.

“Why would I ever trust anything you say to me ever again?” Severa said shortly.

 _“Because I know you now,”_ Camilla said. Severa wanted to snap that Camilla didn’t know her at all, but she pressed her lips together instead. _“And I can prove you never had any other reason to talking to me other than the fact you wanted to. It’s been a long time since I’ve known anyone like that. It’s been a long time since I wanted to get to know anybody else for simple reasons like that either. I know you. I know I can trust you.”_

“ _You_ ,” Severa said sharply. “ _You_ can trust _me_ ? You’re so arrogant! How the fuck could I trust _you_ after this?”

 _“Because I know you,”_ Camilla said again. _“And I know if you knew everything, you’d be a good addition to the team. You’d understand.”_

Severa looked at the front door. She wanted for someone to come in and tell her this was all a prank, but they didn’t. She knew nobody would.

Part of her wanted to hang up already. Another part of her knew this might be her only chance to know exactly why Camilla had carried on this charade for so long.

“And what if I don’t trust you?” Severa asked. “What if I tell you to get lost?”

 _“Then that’s your decision to make,”_ Camilla told her. Her voice was plain. Frank. _“If you decide to press charges or simply don’t want to see me ever again, that’s your prerogative. But if you do decide to trust me, even for a moment…”_

“Then you’ll tell me everything,” Severa finished, thinking.

 _“Then I’ll tell you everything,”_ Camilla said, _“and I’ll know I made the right choice.”_

But would Severa agree that it was the right choice if she chose to trust Camilla for even a second again? What could Camilla possibly say to justify what she had done? What could she have shown Severa that mattered at all beyond this point?

What if it was worth it, Severa wondered. What if it all made sense in the end?

 _“You’re so passionate,”_ Camilla said in her ear. Severa could hear it—Camilla’s crooning voice, the one she used when she gushed over one of her “adorable” siblings. _“When you believe in something, you don’t let anyone else shake you in that belief. You’re strong willed. You don’t let anyone else’s morals compromise your own. You’re nimble and sharp, and you don’t back down. You like your job, but you won’t be there forever. You don’t mind putting your foot down. You’re an independent thinker. You want to be in charge of something big one day. Something that matters. I know you could. I want to give you that.”_

There was something more there, something Camilla was dancing around, but it was hard to know exactly what yet. She had no idea what offer somebody like Camilla could make.

Severa pressed the heel of her palm against her eye. She felt like crying. Or at least like she had an oncoming headache. “How the hell do you expect me to believe anything you say after this? I should be talking to the police right now.”

 _“That’s your decision to make,”_ Camilla said. _“You can still do that later. But if you trust me now, one last time, I promise to tell you everything you want to know. There will be no more secrets between us.”_

Stupid, Severa thought. So stupid.

 _“So,”_ Camilla said, _“what will you do?”_

**Author's Note:**

> Selena: We wanted to find a way to bring the name into this story, so having it as Severa's online handle was fun.
> 
> Can't Swim: Literally one of the best parts about the Beach DLC.
> 
> Severa's Parents: We picked Frederick because he too has a perfectionist nature.
> 
> Impersonating Camilla: We literally had a discussion on the tier level of people in the Family based on how well they can impersonate Camilla. Sadly, Beruka is very low in the tier.


End file.
